MATERNAL INVESTMENT OF BIOMASS IN POD S , SEEDS AND SEED PAC KAGING IN DELONIX REGIA (BOJER) RAFIN (CAESALPINIACEAE)

Biomass investment in pod s , seed s and seed packaging has been studied in a tree of Delonix regia (Bojer) Rafin from the campus of the University of Karachi, Pakistan . The pods are woody and tardily dehiscent or indehiscent for long period of time and seeds are mottled and transver sely placed in the pod . The weight of air - dried pods (PW) varied from 19.40 to 98.36 g (CV = 34.23%) and averaged to 61.6797 ± 2.5238 g . The pod weight distributed normally [ Kolmogorov - Smirnov z (KS - z) = 0.792; p<0.557 ] . The brood size ( TNS, number of norma l seeds per pod ( sensu Uma Shaanker et al., 1998 ) averaged to 13. 4 3 ± 0.668 (CV: 41.63%) . As the value of KS - z, 0.764 , was insignificant (p<0.603) the brood size tended to be normally distributed. The seed mass per pod (SWPP) averaged to 5.3 435 ± 0. 2995 g per pod and varied by a quantum of 48.64%. The distribution of mean single seed weight for a pod ( MSSW ) was symmetrical among the pods. It averaged to 0.3951 ± 0.0117g and varied from 0.1414 to 0.5573g. The pericarp mass per pod vari ed from 18.15 to 89.31 g (CV: 33.79%) and averaged to 56.291 ± 2.271g. The pericarp mass tended to be normally distributed. Some 91.45 ± 0.302 % of the pod biomass was allocated to pericarp ( seed protecti on ) and 8.52 ± 0.302 % to the seeds ( reproductive function ) . The three para meters of pod (PW, SWPP and TNS) collectively interacted in a model to significantly influence the MSSW (R 2 = 0 . 899). In split sub models , PW coupled with TNS and SW PP couple d with TNS as independent variables influenced MSSW significantly (p<0.0001) and in both cases TNS (brood size) associated with M S SW negatively . The weight of individual seed for a sample of 946 seeds averaged to 397.40 ± 3.936mg varying from 55.81 to 638.10 mg (11.52 - fold variation). Seed packaging cost (SPC) in D. regia was 11.912 ± 0.5272 g.g - 1 .seeds and 4.5493 ± 0.1882 g.seed - 1 - quite higher than several pod - dehiscent - legumes. The seed packaging cost (SPC 2 = g.g - 1 .seeds) related with brood size in accordance with a negative power model (exp. = - 0.54841) i.e. the investment of bioma ss in pericarp had a negative trade - off with brood size .