Isolation of radiation-induced translocations in spring and winter barley

A total of 394 and 213 lines, each homozygous for a single translocation, were isolated following seed treatments with X- or gamma-rays in four spring and five winter barley varieties, respectively. Semisterility of translocation heterozygotes was used as a criterion of pre-selection. The effectiveness of the selection technique was found variable to a certain degree, depending on the growth habit (spring or winter) as well as on the number of kernel rows of the spike (two- or six-rowed). Spring barley responded more effective than winter barley and two-rowed more than six-rowed. The probable causes of the differences are discussed. (author)