In a glasshouse study, the pattern of flower and pod production at the various flowering nodes of Phaseolus vulgaris (cv. 344) was mapped out. Soft X-radiation techniques were also used to study the development of retained and abscissed pods at the various nodes while varying levels of flower or pod removal were used to study the modification to pod development at each flowering node following organ removal.

The period of flower opening over the whole plant spanned an average of 12 days and 90% of the pods retained to maturity were formed from flowers opened within 4 days of anthesis. The terminal inflorescence produced most of the flowers on the plant (25%), but nodes 2 and 3 developed the bulk (50%) of the pods retained. Only 30% of the open flowers on the plant formed pods that were retained to maturity.

Pod elongation was initially very rapid in the pods to be retained, following successful fertilization, with the latter period of pod growth devoted almost entirely to seedfilling. A slow growth rate characterizes the development of abscission in Phaseolus pods and the number of seeds per pod is determined later in pod growth.

Flower or pod removal prolonged flowering and led to longer leaf retention and more branches on the main stem. The number of mature pods was lower on the treated plants and the more severe the removal the larger were these treatment effects. Plants compensated for fewer pods by having more seeds per pod but these were not enough to prevent significant depression of seed dry weight per plant by the most severe removals. Flower or pod removal led to a shift of emphasis in pod production by the plant from nodes 2 and 3 to other areas of the plant where natural wastage of flower and young pods is high.