Hayes and Garber - Cucurbit Breeding

146 BREEDING CROP PLANTS
Later more attention was given to the selection of parents on the
basis of habit of growth, fruitfulness, and position of pods. The
necessity of a selection of parents on the basis of desired characters
can not be over-emphasized. Whippoorwill and New Era
are desirable varieties with respect to the three characters mentioned
above. 1 The variety Monetta was the best segregate
obtained by Orton from a cross between Whippoorwill and Iron.
Brabham, a variety which has consistently shown itself superior
to Monetta, is the result of the same cross made by a farmer.
Both of these varieties of hybrid origin possess disease resistance
and to a certain degree the other desirable agronomic characters.
More recently Morse, of the Forage Crop Investigations Office,
Bureau of Plant Industry, has crossed Brabham with Groit (a
hybrid of Whippoorwill and New Era). Victor, one of the segregates
of this cross, will be distributed in the near future. Concerning
the merits of this new variety, Piper makes the following
statement :
"Victor cowpea is absolutely resistant to nematodes and wilt, is a tall
bushy variety, extremely fruitful, and, all in all, it seems conservative
to say it is by far the best variety of cowpea ever yet developed."
SOYBEANS (Soja max)
Origin. The soybean is of ancient cultivation. Japan, China,
Korea, Manchuria, northern India, and the Islands of Java
have grown this plant for centuries both as a human food and as
feed for animals. In Japan and Manchuria the cultivated soybean
is erect in growth. Its nearest wild relative is a smallstemmed,
trailing plant with smaller flowers, pods and seeds.
This wild form is- found in Japan, Manchuria, and China. The
varieties of soybeans found in India are intermediate between the
two types just mentioned. According to Piper and Morse (1910)
all intergrades between the wild plant and the cultivated erect
form may be found, so there is little doubt that all forms belong
to one species (Soja max).
Classification and Inheritance. The numerous varieties of
soybeans show many different combinations of characters.
Varieties differ in habit of growth, some being erect, others more
procumbent and several truly vining. Color and shape of seed
and pods, color of flowers, color of pubescence of the pod and
1 The following information was furnished by the courtesy of DR. C. V.
PIPER.