Donald F. Jones
Encyclopedia
Donald Forsha Jones was a United States maize
geneticist and practical corn
breeder at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
, New Haven. Beginning at the station in 1914, he made high-yielding hybrid corn
practical by his invention of the double-cross hybrid.
In Jones' method, four inbred
corn lines are used. The seed from two initial crosses are used to grow up parental hybrids for the production fields. The production fields yield seed in sufficient quantity to make the scheme practical. Until Jones invented the double-cross method, the yield from the parent lines (the inbreds) was insufficient to allow practical production of hybrid corn seed.
Jones’ work received significant public attention and was used to make the first commercial hybrid corn in the 1920s.
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
geneticist and practical corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
breeder at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is the Connecticut state government's agricultural experiment station, a state government component that engages in scientific research and public outreach in agriculture and related fields. It is the oldest state experiment station in the United...
, New Haven. Beginning at the station in 1914, he made high-yielding hybrid corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
practical by his invention of the double-cross hybrid.
In Jones' method, four inbred
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
corn lines are used. The seed from two initial crosses are used to grow up parental hybrids for the production fields. The production fields yield seed in sufficient quantity to make the scheme practical. Until Jones invented the double-cross method, the yield from the parent lines (the inbreds) was insufficient to allow practical production of hybrid corn seed.
Jones’ work received significant public attention and was used to make the first commercial hybrid corn in the 1920s.