Inheritance of Rest Period of Seeds in the Peanut


 Valencia plant type, so named from its similarity to the sparse
branching habit of Valencia peanuts, was found among pro-
genies of several crosses of Spanish and runner strains. It
behaved as a duplicate gene recessive, indicating that the parent
groups carry alternate pairs of duplicate genes in the recessive
and dominant conditions.
 A division of the American varieties of A. hypogaea into three
principal groups-runner, Spanish, and Valencia-was proposed
and used in the present study. It was supported not only by
morphological characteristics but also by the distribution of
duplicate genes controlling yellow seedlings. Probability that
the distribution of duplicate genes controlling Valencia plant
type also supports the classification was indicated.
 Male-sterile, brachytic, dwarf plants were discovered in one
F2 family of a cross of Virginia Runner and Tennessee Red.
The character behaved as a monogenic recessive.
 Regression tests involved the 22 characters listed in the first
column of Table 12 as dependent variables and rest period of
seeds, seed shape, seed coat color, yellow seedlings, and Valencia
plant type as independent variables. The tests were made with
F2 plants or families in four crosses of Spanish and runner
peanuts. No significant regressions were found.

 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 A word of appreciation for friendly interest and criticism during the
progress of the work is due to Dr. E. W. Lindstrom, Dr. W. E. Loomis,
Dr. J. N. Martin, and Professor G. W. Snedecor of Iowa State College;
and Mr. W. E. Stokes of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
 Thanks are due to the administrative officers of the Florida station
for permission to present the data in a thesis to the Graduate Faculty of
Iowa State College.
 Dr. L. W. Gaddum of the Florida station kindly checked the mathe-
matical theory involved in the discussion of yellow seedlings and offered
valuable suggestions during its development.
 Seed stocks were generously furnished by Mr. J. H. Beattie and Mr.
Roland McKee of the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Paulo
Campos Porto, Jardim Botanico, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil; Dr. F. C. Hoehne,
Institute Biologico, Sao Paulo, Brasil; and Dr. Reynaldo Bolliger, Instituto
Agronomico do Estado de Sao Paulo, Campinas, Brasil.