Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Breeding Disease-Resistant Plants

Abstract

THE possibility of raising varieties resistant to virus, bacteria, fungi, and insects is an attractive prospect for the practical plant breeder. Potatoes immune to wart disease, beans resistant to anthracnose, wheat resistant to rust, vines resistant to Phylloxera, and wheat, barley, and oats resistant to Hessian fly, eelworm, and frit fly are sufficiently well known to encourage the investigator to work on other crops. Several publications (Roemer, Isenbeck and Fuchs, Lesley and Wallace, Reddick, Painter, Jones, Johnston and Parker) have recently directed attention to different aspects of this question. The following short account is based on these publications. The accompanying table lists a few commercial crops which contain disease-resistant varieties.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

REFEREMCES

  1. Berg, A., West Virginia Agric. Exp. Stat. Bull., 205 (1936).

  2. Biffen, R. H., J. Agric. Sci., 2, 109–129 (1907).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Crane, M. B., Greenslade, B. M., Massee, A. M., and Tydeman, H. M., J. Pom., 14, 137–163 (1936).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dickson, J. G., Sci. Agric., 13, 213–224 (1932).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Honig, K., Gartenbau Wiss., 5, 116–125 (1931).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Lesley, J. W., and Wallace, J. M., Phytopath., 28, 548–553 (1938).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Müller, K., Angew. Bot., 12, 299–324 (1930).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Painter, R. H., Jones, E. T., Johnston, C. O., and Parker, J. H., H.A.E. Ento. (1939).

  9. Roemer, T., Fuchs, W. H., and Isenbeck, K., “Die Zuchtung resis-tanter Rassen der Kulturpflanzen”, P. Parey (1938).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Reddick, D., Amer. Assoc. Adv. Sci. (1939).

  11. Salaman, R. N., Rep. II. Int. Cong. Path., 436–437 (1931).

  12. Schick, R., Zuchter, 4, 232–237 (1932); 8, 65–70 (1936).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Schreiber, F., Phytopath. Z., 4, 415–452 (1932).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Smith, K., Biol. Rev., 8, 136–179 (1933).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Stakman, E. C., Genetica, 18, 372–389 (1936).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Stakman, E. C., Levine, M. N., and Cotter, R. U., Sci. Afri., 10, 707–720 (1930).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Thorpe, W. H., Biol. Rev., 5, 177–212 (1930). Imperial Bureau of Plant Genetics, “Breeding Resistant Varieties” and Supplement.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

SANSOME, F. Breeding Disease-Resistant Plants. Nature 145, 690–693 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/145690a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/145690a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing