HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rawal, K. M. Articles by Porter, W. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Rawal, K. M. Articles by Porter, W. M. Agricola Articles by Rawal, K. M. Articles by Porter, W. M.

Cross Pollination Studies of Male-Sterile Genotypes in Cowpeas¹>

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if flower color preference of honey bees (Apis meilifera L.) influenced the cross pollination of male sterile (ms₂ms₂) cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.). Since growth habits of cowpeas, ranging from acute erect and determinate to prostrate or climbing and indeterminate, result in different numbers of flowers produced per plant, growth habits were taken into consideration when computing bee preference for different flower colors. Plants with prostrate indeterminate growth habit and completely pigmented flowers produced significantly more pods than any other combination. For recurrent selection programs using male-sterile cowpeas, natural cross-pollination by bees may lead to marked shifts in gene frequencies for dark seed coat colors because flower pigmentation and seed colors are pleiotropically associated.

Key Words: Large-scale hybridization • Insect pollination

² Chief scientist, IS/GR, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; statistician, IBM Scientific Ctr., Cambridge, Mass.; Associate Director, CIAT, Call, Colombia; and research geneticist, USDAARS, Beltsville, Md., respectively.

Received for publication April 16, 1977.