Florida Agricultural Experiment Station


 Whether required rest period of seeds is inherited in other
species as in the peanut is yet to be determined. The analysis
of inheritance of delayed germination in oats by Johnson (11)
and by Garber and Quisenberry (5), as noted previously, has
produced quite different conclusions, although the data appear
similar to the present data on peanuts. If peanut seeds had
been held 30-90 days in storage and then subjected to a germina-
tion test just long enough to determine what percent of each
sample would germinate immediately the methods with oats
would have been duplicated. F2 and F3 plants could then be
characterized by percent of seeds germinating in the test. Fre-
quency classifications of F2 and F3 plants on that basis would
parallel very closely Johnson's Table 2, page 371, and Garber
and Quisenberry's Table 1, page 272. Most of the plants would
have shown high germination and those with lesser germination
would have occurred with decreasing frequency exactly as in
the two oats tables. Critical evidence for the present theory of
rest period inheritance would have been almost entirely obscured.
For example, the regular series of distribution types would not
have been obtained and F1 seeds would probably have germin-
ated immediately after even 30 days storage. From the writer's
viewpoint, dominance of germinability in oats must remain
doubtful until germination tests are made very soon after
maturity. Investigations, at least as detailed as the work on
peanuts, would seem desirable with small grains and it is not
unlikely that when such investigations are completed the con-
clusions will parallel the present ones with respect to peanuts.
Physiological studies have shown that rest period in small grains
is broken by low temperatures and in peanuts by high tempera-
tures. That, however, does not constitute any argument against
similarity of genetic mechanisms. Also, if delayed germination
in oats is partially or wholly due to an impermeable seed cover-
ing rather than an internal physiological condition the possibility
of a germination threshold midway on the range of permeability
must not be neglected.
 It will probably be safe to direct breeding operations as though
 the present theory of rest period inheritance in peanuts were
 definitely established. Peanut improvement may frequently in-
 volve hybridization of Spanish or Valencia strains with runner
 or other more dormant strains. Strains of hybrid origin may
 be used also in further crossing. Usually it will be desired
 to produce a rest period as long as or even longer than is found