OBSERVATIONS ON CEREAL EMBRYOS IN RELATION TO THE "EMBRYO TEST" FOR LOOSE SMUTS
The embryos of wheat, barley, oats, and rye may be distinguished readily by differences in the shape of the scutella and by the relative sizes of the root initials. Photomicrographs of transverse sections of a wheat embryo show that the embryonic leaves within the coleoptile are arranged alternately, the first one facing towards the scutellum. Their edges are curled around the growing point and meet on the opposite side of the cavity in the coleoptile. A structure, referred to as a "pad", covers the side of the embryo facing the endosperm.Abnormalities found in whole barley embryos include the dormant mycelium of loose smut which appears as brown threads mainly in the surface tissues of the scutellum. Frost, occurring during the later development of the kernel, causes a stunting of the embryo, particularly of the coleoptile, and the production of small particles of yellowish-brown pigment in the tissues of the embryo. Other abnormalities are figured and discussed.