The Effects of Cross & Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable KingdomDarwin, Charles
Science
The Effects of Cross & Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom
Darwin, Charles
Fertilization of plants; Plants -- Variation; Pollination
In a third pot, crossed seeds were sown four days after the
self-fertilised, and the seedlings from the latter had at first, as
might have been expected, an advantage; but when the two lots were
between 5 and 6 inches in height, they were equal, and ultimately the
three tallest crossed plants were 11, 10, and 8 inches, whilst the three
tallest self-fertilised were 12, 8 1/2, and 7 1/2 inches in height. So
that there was not much difference between them, the crossed plants
having an average advantage of only the third of an inch. The plants
were cut down, and without being disturbed were transplanted into a
larger pot. Thus the two lots started fair on the following spring, and
now the crossed plants showed their inherent superiority, for the two
tallest were 13 inches, whilst the two tallest self-fertilised plants
were only 11 and 8 1/2 inches in height; or as 100 to 75. The two lots
were allowed to fertilise themselves spontaneously: the crossed plants
produced a large number of capsules, whilst the self-fertilised produced
very few and poor ones. The seeds from eight of the capsules on the
crossed plants weighed .65 grain, whilst those from eight of the
capsules on the self-fertilised plants weighed only .22 grain; or as 100
to 34.
The crossed plants in the above three pots, as in almost all the
previous experiments, flowered before the self-fertilised. This occurred
even in the third pot in which the crossed seeds were sown four days
after the self-fertilised seeds.
Lastly, seeds of both lots were sown on opposite sides of a large pot in
which a Fuchsia had long been growing, so that the earth was full of
roots. Both lots grew miserably; but the crossed seedlings had an
advantage at all times, and ultimately attained to a height of 3 1/2
inches, whilst the self-fertilised seedlings never exceeded 1 inch. The
several foregoing experiments prove in a decisive manner the superiority
in constitutional vigour of the crossed over the self-fertilised plants.
In the three generations now described and taken together, the average
height of the ten tallest crossed plants was 8.19 inches, and that of
the ten tallest self-fertilised plants 5.29 inches (the plants having
been grown in small pots), or as 100 to 65.
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