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Competition Between Two Genotypes of Lima Bean With Morphologically Different Leaf Types 1
Author(s) -
Williams W. A.,
Tucker C. I.,
Guerrero F. P.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1978.0011183x001800010017x
Subject(s) - biology , monoculture , phaseolus , canopy , competition (biology) , population , willow , dominance (genetics) , intraspecific competition , botany , yield (engineering) , agronomy , horticulture , ecology , biochemistry , demography , materials science , sociology , gene , metallurgy
The canopy structure of lima bean ( Phaseolus lunatus L.) was manipulated with the goal of increasing seed yield. Structure was varied by using two leaf types, willow‐leaflet and normal, in a replacement series (monocultures and mixtures with different proportions of the plant types) and at different total population densities in two field experiments. Yield was not improved by any of the mixtures. Mathematically calculated competition coefficients showed that they competed for the same resources and that the normal type dominated, with its dominance increasing with increasing population density. Leaf area profiles showed that these responses were associated with the preponderance of normal type leaves in the top strata of the canopy, leading to the conclusion that competition was primarily for light. Willow‐leaflet seems to be a character that is detrimental to yield both in mixture with normal and in monoculture.