The Effects of Temperature and Other Variables on the Contribution of Lateral Branches to Yield in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

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Abstract
At low temperatures (15/15 °C day/night) in controlled environments the growth of lateral branches at the cotyledonary node ofPhaseolus vulgarts L is suppressed The suppression can be overcome by raising the temperature of the buds by approximately 6 °C with small electric heaters In order to test the practical significance of the induction of branching for yields of the commercial crop, seedlings were raised in contrasted regimes and then transplanted to the field The effects of pretreatment regime on final yield were small, changes in the yield from axillary branches tended to be balanced by compensatory changes in the yield from the main stem In another field experiment, synthetic growth substances were applied in order to suppress or enhance branching Changes in the amount of yield carned on branches were again offset by compensatory changes in the yield from the main stem Compensatory effects between branches and main stem were also found in a variety trial However, in an experiment on a single cultivar and various levels of N fertilizer, compensatory effects were not found, here, branch and main stem yields were positively, rather than negatively, correlated These results are discussed in relation to the intrinsic factors that govern yield in P vulgaris