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Effects of Cultivar and Flower Removal Treatments on the Temporal Distribution of Reproductive Structures in Bean¹

Patterns of flower and pod production vary in time and in space among different cultivars and in response to environmental variables. A quantitative description of these variables will be important in studies in both stress-management and cultivar development. Three experiments were conducted to determine the temporal distribution of flowering and the effects of flower removal on flower production and seed yield in dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). All experiments were planted at Davis, CA, on beds having 76-cm centers. Experiments were conducted in different years, each experiment being a randomized complete block, having a minimum of four replications. In the cultivar comparison experiments, flowers of ‘Sacramento’, ‘Red Kidney’, ‘Sutter Pink’, and ‘T-39’ were tagged over a 20-day period beginning at first flower. By Day 12 or 13, all cultivars had reached peak flower production and had set pods, which would eventually constitute approximately 80% of their total seed yield. The rate of flower production differed among cultivars, but the earliest produced flowers had the highest pod set percentage. In the defloration experiment, flowers of Red Kidney and ‘California Red’ were removed or counted during various 10-day intervals or combinations thereof over a 30-day period. Removal of flowers during the first 20 days resulted in a significant increase in flower production during the last 10 days. Flower removal during Days 11 to 20 had the greatest impact on seed yield. In the partial defloration experiment whera e fixed proportion of flowers (e.g., every fourth flower) were removed over the entire season; flower production or yield was not significantly affected. A minimum of 20 days of flowering and pod set is essential for high yields. Stresses causing flower loss or pod abortion during Days 11 to 20 will have a significant impact on yield.

Key Words: Abscission • Phaseolus vulgaris L. • Plant architecture

² Former plant breeder associate and assistant professor, Dep. of Agronomy and Range Science, Univ. of California, Davis, CA 95616 (R.L.D. and K.W.F. current address: Nor-Cal Wild Rice, P.O. Box 940, Woodland, CA 95695).

Received for publication August 3, 1984.