Reproductive losses in the faba bean

Abstract

It has long been known that seed yields of the faba bean (Vida faba L.) are highly variable, and that a major determinant of this variability is the number of pods produced per plant. All known reports have shown that the total number of flowers initiated is always substantially greater than the eventual number of pods reaching maturity. Mechanisms which control the survival or loss of buds, flowers, and developing pods are, therefore, of direct importance in determining the productivity of the crop.