Division of Botany, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi-12
*resent address: Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
Tests were conducted to estimate the influence of non-genetic variability in seed size on quantitative characters in barley using seed-size differences in the lateral and central rows of ears on individuals heterozygous at v locus and a homozygous 6-rowed culture. Progenies grown from bigger seeds were found to have higher yields, more tillers, better seed weight, greater height, and were earlier in maturity than the progenies produced from smaller seed with a similar genetic background. No differences were observed in germination percentage. Results were available over different genotypes and environments for most of the characters. The findings are discussed as to their implications for quantitative inheritance studies.
