Winterhardiness Studies in Barley

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of low temperature on the survival of 153 F2 progenies and their 18 winter barley parent varieties, which were of diverse geographic origin, and to obtain a clearer understanding of the nature of the inheritance of cold resistance. Observations of leaf damage were made during the winter to study its relationship to winterhardiness. The basic assumptions made were that there was probably a number of genes concerned with winterhardiness and that these genes were present in varieties in diverse areas of the world. The results indicate that these basic assumptions made at the beginning of this study were correct. Determination of the relative hardiness of the 153 F2 progenies and their 18 winter barley parent varieties was made by fall field plantings at Lincoln, Nebraska; Hays, Kansas; and Lafayette, Indiana. Freezing chamber tests and leaf damage ratings were also made at Lincoln. Advisors: L. P. Reitz and C. O. Gardner