Date of Award:

5-1959

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Department name when degree awarded

Horticulture

Committee Chair(s)

D. K. Salunkhe

Committee

D. K. Salunkhe

Committee

Alvin R. Hanson

Committee

Rex L. Hurst

Abstract

Beans are an important source of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins for millions of vegetarians in the world, especially in Asia. The quality and harvesting time of beans depend upon the purpose for which the beans are used. For example, for canning and freezing the beans should be harvested when they are neither starchy nor watery but should be sugary. The processing industry in Asia is not highly developed. Hence, the food is usually preserved by sun drying. Sun dried beans are often consumed the year around.

Pod setting is a problem in lima beans and in various other crops. One of the most important studies on fruit setting of lima beans was made by Lambeth (11) who classified unfruitfulness as associated with various internal and external factors. In addition to the internal factors, it has been recently established that certain other physiological factors such as internal nutritive conditions, plant growth regulators, and chemical composition influence fruitfulness. Successful pollination and fertilization require favorable environmental conditions which influence the ripening of the crop. The harvesting time is directly related to the pollination time--the earlier the pollination, the earlier the harvest. However, in most of the varieties of lima beans indeterminate types of pod sets have been observed. In addition, the number of pod sets depends upon the night temperature and relative humidity (17). Under such conditions the quality and chemistry of beans are not recognized.

The starch of beans is often considered as a single substance which is made up of two components, namely amylose and amylo-pectin. Amylose content is considered to be a more important constituent of starch than amylo-pectin, because of its industrial uses in the manufacturing of edible casings, in the paper industry as a binding agent, and in textiles as a permanent finish where other hydroxylated polymers have been used (23).

Genera and species differ in their contents of amylose and amylo-pectin as well as in many other important characteristics which, if present in one, could be of great value to growers. This encourages breeders and geneticists to endeavor to improve their cultivated species by making inter and intra-specific crosses.

The purpose of this investigation was to present the studies on the starch grain characteristics (size, shape, hylum, and lamella development), amount of amylose, amylo-pectin and total starch in relation to pollination time and size of beans in certain varieties of P. lunatus L., P. polystachyus L., and F1 cross (P. lunatus L. var. Fordhook X P. polystachyus L.).1

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