Collecting conditions of soybean seeds and their effects upon the growth of the plant : I. Comparison between the plants raised from the seeds collected on the high lands and those from the seeds collected on the low lands

Abstract

The author investigated the effects of the loca1ities, Where the seeds were collected, upon the growth of soybean plants. The seeds used for the test were those from Nobeyama, Nagano Prefecture (a highland district) and Ishioka, Ibaragi Prefecture (a 1ow-land district). The varieties used were Daize Norin No.1, No.2, and No.3. The results obtained were as follows. 1. Effects of the 1ocalities where the seed had been collected varied with the varieties and the environments in which they were raised. 2. Generally speaking, those from the highlands bloomed and matured earlier than those from the lowlands. This phenomenon was more remarkable wben the the seeds were raised in the highland and in the glass house than in the open fields of lowland. Especially, in the glass house, the stem of the former was shaped in a twining form, while those of the latter was not. 3. The difference disappeared in the following generation. The author had an impression that the difference must be ascribed largely to certain ecological factors, rather than to the difference of the size of seeds. The effect of locality may not be a hereditary one to produce changes in the gene, e.d., resulting in mutation. The authoris continuing researchs of the possible mechanism of those effects.