Lodging in cereals and the possibilities of breening for resistance Ramanujam S., Post-graduate Student Division of Botany, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi Summary 1. The term’ lodging’ is defined, the various types of lodging are described and the losses caused by lodging and the necessity for breeding for resistance to lOdging are discussed. 2. The various causes to which lodging has been attributed in literature are discussed in detail. 3. Previous work attempting to find a correlation between lodging resistance and plant characters, morphological, anatomical or chemical, is reviewed. It is concluded that most of these characters failed to exhibit any consistent correlation with lodging resistance. 4. The mechanical methods and equipment used by various investigators for determining breaking strength, culm density, pulling resistance and other mechanical indices oflodging resistance are briefly discussed. ltis concluded that while breaking strength and culm density have shown good correlation with lodging resistance, the latter by virtue of the ease ofdetermination, the absence of personal bias, etc., appears to be the most practicable and preferable method. 5. Literature dealing with the genetics of the character, lodging resistance, and attempts made to breed for it are reviewed. Little work, which is, at best, merely empirical, seems to have been done in this direction. 6. It is concluded that with the introduction of high-yielding varieties, better manuring and an intersive system of cultivation, the demand for lodging resistant varieties will be keenly felt and that it should be possible to secure a variety combining lodging-resistance and other desirable qualities. The importance of the introduction of new germ-plasm is stressed. Top |