*Part of the M.Sc. (Ag.) thesis work submitted by the second author in 1978 to the A.P. Agricultural University, Hyderabad-30, A.P.
The female parent Lakshmi (G. hirsutum) of the interspecific hybrid Varalakshmi was given the following treatments at the time of emasculation: 1. Keeping all bracteoles intact (T1 Control), 2. One bracteole removed (T2), 3. Two bracteoles removed (T3) and 4. All the three bracteoles removed (T4). Observations on per cent boll set, kapas weight, seed weight, seed number per boll, boll weight at 15 days after crossing, final boll weight at harvest and per cent pest incidence showed that all the characters were adversely affected with the removal of bracteoles. The reduction in boll weight at 15 days after crossing was as high as 30–50 per cent, whereas the maximum loss in final boll weight was only about 12–20 per cent suggesting that the effect of removal of bracteoles was felt more severely at the beginning of the boll development. The boll setting was reduced to 9, 37 and 52 per cent of bolls set with the removal of one, two and three bracteoles respectively compared to control.
Both the loss in seed weight and gain derived from less pest incidence, due to the removal of bracteoles considered together showed that retention of bracteoles had exhibited a superiority of about 16 per cent increase in seed weight over that of complete removal of bracteoles.
