Morpho-physiological responses of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars to drought stress

Abstract

Common bean (P. vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume in the diet of people and drought stress causes severe yield loss in this crop. This study was conducted to investigate morpho-physiological responses, yield and WUE of four common bean (P. vulgaris L.) cultivars (namely: “Sarıkız”, “Sazova”, “Kırk günlük”, and “Gina”) under different (I1.00: 100%-control of field capacity, I0.75: 75% of field capacity and I0.50: 50% of field capacity) water regimes. The investigation was conducted in a pots and experiments were carried out randomized plot design with ten replicates. The results of this investigation show that yield, yield components, LRWC, leaf area and chlorophyll contents were reduced, while WUE increase depending on the different water regimes in all cultivars. Consequently, cv. “Gina” may have the potential to be used in drought areas.