MULTIPLE BRANCHING STEMS IN A HYBRID BETWEEN BREAD WHEAT (TRITICUM-AESTIVUM) AND LYMEGRASS LEYMUS-MOLLIS

Hybrids have been produced between bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L. e m. Thell.) and lymegrass (Leymus mollis (Trin.) Pilger), and these are vegetatively highly vigorous but sexually sterile. The plants are unu sual for Triticeae in having both extensive intravaginal branching alo ng the length of the stem and the ability to spontaneously develop aer ial roots from the stem nodes. These morphological changes are probabl y genetically determined, since the phenotype was expressed in a numbe r of independent hybrids grown in widely differing environments. It ma y, however, be an epigenetic effect, arising from the tissue culture p eriod necessary for embryo rescue. As the hybrids are self-sterile, th e character is useful as it allows for ready vegetative reproduction.