Effect of source-sink alterations on the characteristics of reproductive abortion in soybeans

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6985368

Heitholt, J J

Soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) were grown in the field in 1982 and 1983 (cv. Kent) and greenhouse (cv. McCall) to characterize the effects of timing and source-sink alterations on flower and immature pod abortion and to study the causes of abortion. Flowers and immature pods were marked during early flowering (R1 to R2) and late flowering (R3 to R4). Nineteen percent of the early flowers aborted in the greenhouse and 31 to 48% aborted in the field. Seventy-six to 92% and 77 to 90% of the late flowers aborted in the greenhouse and field, respectively. Defoliation increased early flower abortion and depodding decreased late flower abortion. Fifteen and 19% of the early immature pods and the late immature pods from depodded plants aborted, respectively. Fifty-seven percent of the late immature pods aborted. Across both years there was not a consistent relationship between the concentrations of ethanol soluble carbohydrates, starch, ethanol soluble nitrogen, ethanol insoluble nitrogen, nitrate, and cations in the flowers or immature pods and abortion. During both early and late flowering, a single leaf located in the middle of the main stem that subtended flowers at anthesis, or immature pods was labeled with 3.7 x 10/sup 5/ Bq /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ for 1 h. After 24 h the entire plant was harvested, divided into flowers, pods, labeled leaf, and the remainder of the plant and the radioactivity was determined. The low aborting flowers and immature pods contained a greater percentage of the total /sup 14/C recovered than the high aborting flowers and immature pods. The results indirectly support the hypothesis that a signal compound produced by another plant part, perhaps the established pods, inhibits the development of aborting flowers and immature pods.

• Research Organization: Kentucky Univ., Lexington (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6985368
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
GLYCINE HISPIDA
PHYSIOLOGY
REPRODUCTION
CARBON DIOXIDE
FIELD TESTS
PLANT GROWTH
BACTERIA
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DISTRIBUTION
GROWTH
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LEGUMINOSAE
MICROORGANISMS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
RHIZOBIUM
TESTING
551001* - Physiological Systems- Tracer Techniques