Changes during Development in the Nitrogen, Uncombined Amino Acid and Carbohydrate Contents of Cotyledons from Different Cultivars and Lines of Field Bean (Vicia faba L.)

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Abstract
A study has been made of the changes during development in the total nitrogen, uncombined amino acid, starch and ethanol-soluble sugar contents of field bean cotyledons from two large-seeded cultivars, Minica and Felix, and two lines of the small-seeded cultivar Dacre, which differed in protein concentration of the mature seed. In all cultivars the concentration of total nitrogen, uncombined amino acids and ethanol-soluble sugars decreased while that of starch increased during development. However, the pattern of decrease in the proportion of total nitrogen varied between the large and the small-seeded cultivars. From day 40 (after pollination) onwards a higher percentage of ethanol-soluble sugars but a lower percentage of starch was found in the large-seeded cultivars. Throughout development the Dacre line with the ‘high’ protein concentration in the mature seed maintained a higher percentage of total nitrogen and a correspondingly lower percentage of ethanol-soluble sugars and starch than the ‘low’ protein line.