Post by walt on Nov 20, 2017 15:37:45 GMT -5
One more comment.
Some years ago, about 1990, more or less, some one started what came to be called the Paul Bunyan Breeding Program.
For those not up to date of Amercian mythology, Paul Bunyan was a lumberjack who could cut 40 acres of timber with one swing of his ax.
So some barley breeders used a male sterile gene closely linked to a gene for shriveled, but viable, seeds. These male sterlie plants were used to cross with the ENTIRE GRIN barley collection. In the F2, the male steriles were crossed again to the entire GRIN collecton. After all, the first F2 generation had a lot of genetic diversity, but it was still half identical on their mother's side. Now it was only 1/4 identical.
Another cross or two was done and then the seed was multiplied, then it was distributed to any barley breeder in the world to treat as a landrace. Some is still in storage I'm sure, and available.
I had a kilo or so once. I sorted out the hulless seeds and grew them as seperate populations, hulled and unhulled.
I don't have them any more, but I sometimes think of trying to get another start.
Some years ago, about 1990, more or less, some one started what came to be called the Paul Bunyan Breeding Program.
For those not up to date of Amercian mythology, Paul Bunyan was a lumberjack who could cut 40 acres of timber with one swing of his ax.
So some barley breeders used a male sterile gene closely linked to a gene for shriveled, but viable, seeds. These male sterlie plants were used to cross with the ENTIRE GRIN barley collection. In the F2, the male steriles were crossed again to the entire GRIN collecton. After all, the first F2 generation had a lot of genetic diversity, but it was still half identical on their mother's side. Now it was only 1/4 identical.
Another cross or two was done and then the seed was multiplied, then it was distributed to any barley breeder in the world to treat as a landrace. Some is still in storage I'm sure, and available.
I had a kilo or so once. I sorted out the hulless seeds and grew them as seperate populations, hulled and unhulled.
I don't have them any more, but I sometimes think of trying to get another start.
