The influence of surgical removal of organ (s) singly or in combinations on growth and growth correlations in 7-day old seedlings of several pulse crops was investigated. Whereas restriction of root to 30 mm did not affect extension growth markedly, decapitation of shoot led to the emergence of two equipotent cotyledonary axillary buds developing into identical branches in desi and kabuli gram, lentil and pea and with no significant growth in green and black gram and three varieties of kidney bean. Removal of one cotyledon from derooted and decapitated seedlings caused no appreciable effect in varieties of kidney bean, green and black gram, whereas resulted in unequal growth of the two axillary branches in desi and kabuli gram, lentil and pea, with a significant suppression of growth of the branch in the axil of intact cotyledon.
