Effect of Floral Bud Removal on Performance of Soybeans1

Abstract

Seed weight was increased such that the yield per plant of soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr., was not reduced when all floral buds were removed from any 1/3 section of the plant. When all floral buds were removed from either the upper or lower 2/3 of the plant, the increase in seed weight was not great enough to offset the reduction in the number of pods per plant, and, therefore, the yield per plant was reduced.Yield and number of pods per plant were reduced when all floral buds were removed from all the branches, but not affected when all floral buds were removed from the main stem. Seed weight was increased by both treatments. The vegetative parts of the plant without pods remained green until killed by frost; other parts of the plant senesced normally.Removal of floral buds (0 to 60 per plant at random over all nodes) had no effect on the number of pods per plant, seed size, or yield per plant. The protein content of the seed increased and oil content decreased as the number of floral buds removed increased.