Chlorophyll Content of Persistent-Green and Normal Snap Bean Pods (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)1

Chlorophyll concns decreased rapidly as pods matured from the 1-day-old fruit stage. Total chlorophyll a + b per pod was influenced by pod length as well as pigment concn. Apparent chlorophyll synthesis occurred in field-grown green snap bean fruits up to 11-mm diam pods (sieve size 5 or 6), but a net decrease occurred with further maturation. Dry-mature persistent-green pods contained 300 ppm chlorophyll on a dry matter basis, whereas normal-green pods had none. Lack of consistent agreement between visual and chemical methods to rank cultivars for pod color suggested differences in chlorophyll distribution in external versus internal tissue.