Pod Setting in Crosses of Bengal Gram

Six varieties of gram (Cicer arietinum L.) were used to determine the causes of low pod setting and to find out the ways to improve setting. It was observed that mechanical injury to flower buds during crossing was responsible for lower pod setting. Attempting crosses after the formation of first pod resulted in better setting than when hybridization was done in early bloom. Since pod setting was related to bud size, varieties with bigger flower buds should be used as female parents. Application of NAA to flower buds did not give consistent results and hence requires further investigation.