This study was subjected to clarify the physiological factors associated with heading and maturing of wheat and their genetic studies, relationship among heading time and involved factors as well as selection efficiency to serve for improvement of early maturing and high yielding wheat varieties. The results obtained to the present time were summarized as followings.
1. Physiological factors associated with heading time of wheat can be represented by growth habit, photowresponses, especially heading response to high temperature-shortday response, earliness in narrow sense and winter hardiness. In the areas where cold damage is negligible three factors except winter hardiness would be the major factors associated with heading time. Determination of growth habit was possible by growing materials at high temperature and longday condition with different vernalization periods. Photo-responses could be determined under high temperature-shortday and earliness in narrow sense under high temperature-longday.
2. Spring growth habit is controlled by four major genes Vrn₁, Vrn₂, Vrn₃ and Vrn₄. These genes are dominant over winter growth habit and Vrnl is found to be epistasis to the other Vrn genes. Winter growth habit is recovered.
3. Photo-insensitivity and earliness in narrow sense are controlled by one or two major genes in some crosses while polygenic inheritance are also observed in some. crosses.
4. Winter hardiness is quantitatively inherited, thus controlled by many genes
5. Studies on the earliness with segregating material planted in the field proved that this trait is determined by one or two major gene(s). However, in some crosses it was found to be polygenic.
6. Field heading time and photo-responses, earliness in narrow sense and growth habit were highly correlated each other but winter hardiness exhibited negative relations with field heading time and involved physiological factors. Thus, winter susceptibility was a disadvantageous trait for improvement of early maturing varieties.
7. Heritabilities estimated for heading time was considerably high regardless growing conditions. However, highest heritability was estimated for the materials grown under high temperature and shortday condition.
8. In relationship between heading time and grain yield, early maturing lines frequently damaged, particularly young spike primordia, by low spring temperature and increased sterile spikelet it will be desired to recombine some degree of winter growth habit, low temperature adaptability and photo-insensitivity. High grain weight and grain plumpness should also be considered in selection procedure for improving early maturing wheat varieties.