Inheritance inLolium perenne L.

Summary

• 1. A vigorous, full greenLolium perenne plant gave rise on selfing to three distinct types of seedlings: surviving green, non-surviving green and chlorophyll-deficient (yellow-tipped albino). The number of seedlings so obtained, owing to high self-sterility, was insufficient to show anything beyond the occurrence of these types and that the plant was heterozygous for at least two pairs of factors. This plant is known as plant 43.

• 2. The non-surviving green seedlings die back just before or just after the appearance of the second leaf.

• 3. The yellow-tipped albino seedlings may survive for some months, but they never closely approach a full green colour and never become sufficiently strong for use as parents.

• 4. When the original plant was out-crossed to unrelated plants, neither non-surviving green nor yellow-tipped albino seedlings were obtained inF ₁.

• 5. WhenF ₁ plants were back-crossed to the original parent, the three types of seedlings again appeared and in such proportions as to indicate that in respect of two pairs of factors, the constitution of plant 43 may be represented by the symbolsLlYy.

• 6. Amongst theF ₁ seedlings, the typesLlYy,LLYy and —YYYY were found by selfing, back-crossing and side-crossing.

• 7. There is no indication of linkage between the two factorsL andY.