A male sterile plant of Texas Blackhull kafir was discovered in a plat of the sorghum variety test at Texas Substation No. 12, Chillicothe, Texas, in 1935. In the F2 generation of hybrids with this plant the progeny segregated into classes of approximately 3 normal plants to 1 male sterile plant. Studies of hybrid vigor in sorghum, particularly those of Karper and Quinby, show that the yields from crossed seed may greatly exceed the yields of parental varieties. This male sterile character may be useful in developing a method for the commercial production of hybrid sorghum seed. A suggestive outline of the steps necessary to produce hybrid seed is presented.

In preliminary tests under the same cultural conditions in 1927 at maturity total sugars as sucrose in the roots varied in different types and varieties of sorghums from about 15% to over 55% on the basis of dry organic matter, while in corn varieties they varied from much less than 1 to about 4.5%. In more extensive experiments in 1928 under different soil moisture conditions, the sugars in corn (King Philip Hybrid) decreased from amounts varying from about 8.5 to nearly 18% at the blossom stage down to amounts, with one exception, below 2.5% at maturity. This suggests a movement of sugars to the ear during the maturing of the crop. Sugars in sorghum (White Durra) with but few exceptions remained above 16% from bloom to maturity, with many of the samples being over 30% There are indications that sorghums cut back at maturity make new shoot growth at the expense of sugars stored in the roots. In corn plants without seed-bearing ears at maturity in 1930 the sugar percentages were consistently higher in both roots and stalks than in those plants with seed-bearing ears. This was especially true in regard to stalks. These data are consistent with the view that corn is physiologically an annual while sorghums are perennials.

Germination tests were made on the seeds of various farm crops adapted to Colorado conditions which had been stored in a dry, unheated room for periods varying from 1 to 15 years. The germination percentage of wheat, oats, and barley declined slowly for the first 10-year period with a sharp break in germination between the tenth and twelfth years. The drop in germination was as great or greater from the tenth to the fifteenth year as it was from the first to the tenth year. There were indications of different reactions to storage between 6-row hulled, 2-row hulled, and 6-row hulless barleys. Rosen rye and Wisconsin Black soybeans did not maintain their viability to the same degree as wheat, oats, and barley. The trend, however, was the same. The break occurred between the sixth and eighth years and dropped off very rapidly afterward. Black Amber sorghum still maintained an excellent germination percentage after being stored for 10 years. Yellow dent corn germinated well for the first 6 years and dropped off rapidly between the ninth and tenth years and again between the twelfth and thirteenth years. The germination percentage of Rosen rye, Wisconsin Black soybeans, and corn was low at the end of the period of the test.