Annual Report 1961 - BEEP

-37-This last mentioned technique was shown tobe justified by the results of an experimentconducted during the season. From fourvarieties 4 flowering canes were marcotted and4 not. All the stalks were placed in 4 gallondrums (4 canes per drum) with an SOz solution,which was changed every other day. All theflowers were pollinated by the same malevariety in one area cross. Marcotted canes didproduce significantly more viable seeds thannon-marcotted ones. (Table 3).It has been reported from Barbados thatrain water is better than tap water for thepreservative solution. This too was tested in theexperiment but no difference in seed setting wasfound attributable to water from either source.The total number of crosses made thisyear was 701, from which 252 were made inthe open. A summary of the crossing workis given in Table 4, while the list of crosses canbe found in the Appendix (Table XXIII). Thenumber of parents used in the programmewas enlarged with some varieties of theM./57 series. Again during selection, newparent varieties were planted in the breedingplots.About 50 seedlings of unknown parentage,resulting from natural crosses, were discoveredat Union Park S. E. S. in December havingestablished themselves at the edge of a field(fig. 12). They were transplanted for subsequentassessment.Table 3.The number of seedlings produced experimentally from female stalks marcotted andnot marcotted and placed in tap water or rain water.Cross Rain water Tap waterNot marcotted Marcotted Not marcotted MarcottedP.R.lOOO x 47R2777 3630 2300 2310 306080 2100 330 3590Ebene 1/37 x 47R2777 29 2360 460 14201030 920C.B.38-22 x 47R2777 1140 270 340330 370 140 160M.241/40 x 47R2777 620 3750 290 281051 1380 500TOTAL 5880 11910 5180 12800Total rain: 17790 Total tap: 17980Total not marcotted : 11060 Total marcotted: 24710Table 4. Summary of crossing work in 1961.StationReduitPamplemoussesF.U.E.L.BritanniaTOTALNo. crosses madeinside449449outside129123No. seedlings obtainedinside outside total47319 35160 8247923539 23539252 47319 58699 106018No. seedlings plantedsingly bunched*5431 1374156 6257268516909587 10769• In a bunch 7 - 8 seedlings are potted together; at the time of planting approximately S seedlings/bunchare still alive.