Growth and yield of the common bean in response to combined application of nitrogen and paclobutrazol

Abstract

Nitrogen fertilization is a common practice used to increase the yield of winter bean crops. However, this practice leads to excessively tall and prostrate plants that have too many leaves, resulting in self-shading, and low yield and grain quality. The use of growth regulators could minimize the undesired effects of nitrogen fertilization. This study aims to determine the optimal concentration of paclobutrazol (PBZ) for inhibiting bean growth using the cultivars BRS Pontal and BRS Supremo. The plants were treated with PBZ at different concentrations, and also in combination with ammonium sulfate ten days after fertilization. The height and yield of plants were evaluated. It was observed that PBZ at 8 mg L-1 effectively inhibits the growth of bean plants, and increases the number of pods and grains. Higher concentrations of PBZ proved to be phytotoxic. Additionally, the application of PBZ ten days after fertilization with ammonium sulfate did not suppress the overgrowth of bean plants, and did not affect their yield.