| II. Genetic Stock Norin 10, a Japanese semi-dwarf wheat variety Gonjiro INAZUKA Former Chief of the Local Wheat Experiment, Iwate Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station, Morioka, Japan1) Norin 10 a recommended variety for northern prefectures registered at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Japan in 1935, was a semi-dwarf winter wheat, which was released for farmers in Iwate and Yamagata Prefectures. In recent years, Norin 10 became known in the world as a breeding material mainly for its dwarfness. At the Third International Wheat Genetics Symposium held in Australia in August of the year 1968, it was reported that semi-dwarf wheat varieties which were bred from the Norin 10 crosses have become popular in America, Mexico, India and West Pakistan etc. This news was rather a delightful surprise to the present writer who had taken part in the breeding work of Norin 10. In the present paper therefore the author wishes to report an outline of its origin, history and some of the important characters. This paper has been completed according to the old records with advices and suggestions by Professer Kosuke YAMASHITA, Kyoto University, for which the author wishes to express his sincerest thanks. 1) Parental varieties of Norin 10: Norin 10 was obtained from an artificial cross of Turkey red as mother and Fultz-Daruma as father. According to the old records, Fultz and Turkey red were introduced from the U.S.A., Fultz around 1892 and Turkey red later. Fultz-Daruma was a line from a cross of Daruma as mother and Glassy Fultz as father. This cross was made at the Central Agricultural Experiment Station in 1917, and a pedigree culture was continued up to F6 (1923). Daruma is believed to have been a representative variety of the Kanto district, known as Shiro-Daruma, while Glassy Fultz is believed to have been a glassy derivative from Fultz with mealy grain. Between 1924 and 1925, the projects of the field experiments at the Central Agricultural Experiment Station at Nishigahara, Tokyo, were transfered to the Konosu Branch Station, Saitama Prefecture. That was when systematic breeding of wheat through artificial crossing had just started in Japan. The F2 seeds of Turkey red x Fultz-Daruma, along with several other combinations, were obtained from the Ehime Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station and a selection of an initial stage was made during the period from 1926 to 1929. In the years up to 1930, 29 pedigrees of F3-F6 were handed over to the Iwate Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station for local experiments. |
| 1) Present address : Johana-cho, Tonami-Gun, Toyama-Pref., Japan |
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