Cytokinins as Metabolic Stimulants Which Induce Pod Set

Abstract

Bearing numerous fruit, the initiation of which is spread over a period of days or weeks, represents an adaptive advantage by allowing seed to develop and mature during a wider span of time, which reduces the likelihood of pest or environmental stress severely reducing the number of viable propagules that an individual plant produces. To achieve this spread in fruit initiation, many plants have a prolonged flowering period. Normally, those flowers which open first will produce a fruit which will attain maturity if stress is absent. Those flowers opening late in the flowering period are likely to abort, given- that the earlier flowers have produced viable fruit. If, however, the early flowers are induced to abort by stress conditions or physical removal, then the likelihood that later flowers will produce viable fruit is greatly enhanced.