Origin and Development of Axillary Buds in Jute (Corchorus capsularis)

Abstract

BRANCHING characteristics of the vast majority of plants are not a desirable character in a fibre crop like jute. Some foreign varieties of Corchorus capsularis like Halmahera, Jap Red and Jap G, unlike the Indian varieties, do not usually branch, as the axillary buds are normally absent in the axils of the leaves. These varieties supply the gene for non-branching character to be incorporated in the high-yielding Indian varieties. Though the anatomy of normal jute plant has been investigated in detail by Kundu^1,2, the organization of the shoot apex in the non-branching plants requires study, to find whether the absence of axillary buds is merely due to dormancy or complete absence of bud meristem in the axils of leaves. Such a study will doubtless help in rigid selection for non-branching varieties. A comparative developmental anatomy of four varieties of Corchorus capsularis, D154 (a branching variety), Halmahera, Jap Red and Jap G (non-branching varieties), was taken up in order to get precise information about the nature of non-branching character.