In self-compatible, hermaphroditic plants, display size-the number of flowers open on a plant at one time-is believed to be influenced by trade-offs between increasing geitonogamous selfing and decreasing per-flower pollen export as display size increases. Experimental results presented here indicate that selection through male function favors smaller display sizes in Ipomoea purpurea. In small...

Changes in photoassimilate partitioning between source and sink organs significantly affect fruit development and size. In this study, a comparison was made of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown under a low fruit load (one fruit per truss, L1 plants) and under a standard fruit load (five fruits per truss, L5 plants), at morphological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Fruit load red...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Flower morphology and inflorescence architecture affect pollinator foraging behaviour and thereby influence the process of pollination and the reproductive success of plants. This study explored possible ecological functions of the lever-like stamens and the floral design in Salvia cyclostegia. METHODS Flower construction was experimentally manipulated by removing either t...

Infestation by blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana Johnson, is common in northern highbush blueberries, but its effects on crop productivity are unknown. We examined whether infestation by blueberry gall midge reduces flower bud production when compared with uninfested shoots, and how infestation at different times affects the crop response. From the fall of 2009 to the spring of 2011, t...

in order to study the effect of mineral nutrient and salicylic acid on the fruit yield and yield components of coriander, a study was conducted in experimental field of gorgan university during 2007. the experiment was laid out in randomized block design with ten treatments (salicylic acid, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, boron, molybdenum and control) in three replicati...

Secondary branch number (SBN) is an important component affecting spikelet number per panicle (SPP) and yield in rice. During recurrent backcross breeding, four BC2F4 populations derived from the high-yield donor parent IR65598-112-2 and the recurrent parent Tainan 13 (a local japonica cultivar) showed discontinuous variations of SPP and SBN within populations. Genetic analysis of 92 BC2F4 indi...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Asymmetric warming is one of the distinguishing features of global climate change, in which winter and night-time temperatures are predicted to increase more than summer and diurnal temperatures. Winter warming weakens vernalization and hence decreases the potential to flower for some perennial herbs, and night warming can reduce carbohydrate concentrations in storage organs...