Comparisons of Earlier- and Later-formed Pods of Pigeonpeas (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.)

On branches of indeterminate cultivars of pigeonpea, floweringbegins at the basal nodes and proceeds acropetally; in morphologicallydeterminate cultivars, flowering begins on the apical racemesand proceeds basipetally. In cultivars of both types, withinthe racemes flowering proceeds acropetally. Under normal conditionsmore pods are set from earlier-formed flowers than from later-formedflowers, many of which are shed. Consequently the earlier-formedpods are found at the more basal nodes of racemes, and in indeterminatecultivars at the more basal nodes on the branches. The averageweight of earlier and later-formed pods, collected from thebasal and apical nodes of the racemes or of the branches, wassimilar; so was the number of seeds per pod, the weight perseed and the nitrogen content of the seeds. This pattern differsfrom that found in most herbaceous legumes, where later-formedpods are smaller, and indicates that pigeonpeas set fewer podsthan they are capable of filling. This behaviour may be relatedto the intrinsically perennial nature of pigeonpeas. The comparisonof the weights of earlier- and later-formed pods could providea simple screening procedure for identifying plants with anannual nature among existing cultivars or in breeders' lines. Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp., pigeonpea, pod development, seed number, seed weight, nitrogen content