Contribution of Leaf Photosynthesis towards Seed Yield in Brassica species

Abstract

The effect of defoliation after flowering, when a considerable number of pods were already formed on yield components, was examined in four Brassica species. In B. campestris and B. juncea, a decrease in seed yield by defoliation was associated with a decrease in the number of pods per plant as seed number per pod and thousand‐seed weight were not significantly affected by this treatment. In B. nigra, apart from decreasing the pod number per plant, defoliation also significantly decreased the thousand‐seed weight, Defoliation significantly decreased both seed number per pod and thousand‐seed weight apart from decreasing the number of pods per plant in B. carinata. The study indicated that in B. campestris and B. juncea, the role of leaf photosynthesis seemed to be restricted mainly to the formation of pods. On the other hand, in B. nigra and B. carinata it appeared that leaf photosynthesis also contributed towards seed development.