Barley's sterility "Schartigkeit" was recogmzed in the south-west district of Japan, especially in all prefectures in Kyushu in 1946. The sterility was noted in various varieties of barley, in partial or general on their head, especially in "Golden melon" most remarkably. At the farm of the Miyazaki Agricultural Experiment Station, "Golden melon" and others were sterilized perfectly and did not obtained any grain. This phenomena were regarded so important upon the agronomic practices and breeding experiments, that some investigations were performed at the farms of Kyushu Branch of Agricultural Experiment Station and of the all prefectures in Kyushu and others. The summary of the investigations is as follows: (1) The most unusual conditions in the climate during the barley growth period are that the temperature rised suddenly from the end of January on wards, and the amount of percipitation was great from the end of Februaly to the early day of May. (2) The culm was very shorter in all varieties of wheat and barley in the year than in the ordinary ones. Especially the varieties or the culms, in which plentiful sterile florets were recogoized did not ear, and these plants resembled to the "Sitzenbleiben" in late seeded barley of winter type. (3) The glume of the sterile floret was normal in form, but the development of male and female organs were somewhat imperfect. And especially the forms of the anther and of the pollen grain were abnormal, but malformed or organless plant was not found. (4) The tendency of cleistogamy was very remarkable in the year, and it is noticeable that on some varieties or culms late-eared, the fertilization was completed several days earlier than the earing date. (5) The distinction of this sterility may be seen easier on the two-rowed barley than on the others, but no relation was recognized between the forms of ear (two, four, or six rowed) and the such sterility. (6) Such sterility was found abundantly in the winter type varieties and less in the spring types. And in the same variety, sterility were found less in the earlier seeded plants than in the later seeded ones. (7) The correlation between the sterility and the date of earing has not been recognized, but the sterility was somewhat more notable in the later earing plants than in the earlier earing ones. (8) On the same variety, the sterility was found more remarkably in the warm region than in the cold one in the south-western Japan, viz., the warmer condition is the profitable for the outbreak of the phenomena. (9) Negative correlation was recognized between the sterilty and the earing degree, viz. the sterility is of high per cent in such plants, as the internode under the ear does not elongate so as the ear appears upon the sheath of the uppermost leaf. (10) The sterility was found not only in barley but also in rye and oats, and less in oats but abundant in rye. The sterility was also found in the rye grown in the glasshouse as about the same degree as in the open field under natural conditions.
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