MORPHOLOGICAL INDICATORS IN RESPONSE TO INDUCTION OF WATER DEFICIT IN BEAN CULTIVARS (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Drought is a worldwide limiting factor in bean production ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and water deficit when persistent in the early stages of growth can cause irreversible morphological damage. The objective of this research was to analyze morphological indicators in response to the imposition of water deficit in two bean cultivars: Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv . BRS esplendor e Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv . ametista . Four irrigation treatment strategies were compared: daily, 3, 6, and 12 days. After 60 days of cultivation, morphological parameters were collected and evaluated: number of leaves; aerial part height; stem base diameter; root system length; fresh and dry mass of aerial part, root system and the total mass; and number of nodules. The different water regimes imposed demonstrated divergent morphological responses to water deficit among the cultivars, more expressive responses to water deficit were observed in the treatment with 12 days of irrigation. Our results suggested that P. vulgaris L. cv . BRS esplendor is more tolerant to drought when compared to P. vulgaris L . cv . ametista . These findings help in a better understanding of morphological processes in response to water scarcity for both cultivars.