Water Shortage Affects Vegetative and Reproductive Stages of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Chilean Landraces, Differentially Impacting Grain Yield Components.

Gerardo Tapia,Camila Lozano,Luis Inostroza,José Méndez

doi:10.3390/plants11060749

Gerardo Tapia, Camila Lozano + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11060749

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Abstract

Water availability for agricultural use is currently a global problem that worsens with climate change in several regions of the world. Among grain legumes, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is the most cultivated in the worldwide. The Chilean germplasm of common bean is characterized by tolerance to water stress. Here, we analyzed a selection of nine ancient Chilean landraces in regard to their drought tolerance, simulating optimal (OW) and restricted watering (RW) in a Mediterranean environment. Phenological, growth, and yield traits were recorded, and correlation analysis was performed. Accordingly, leaf temperature and osmotic potential were higher under RW, while the leaf chlorophyll content decreased in all landraces. Physiological maturity days and seed-filling days were lower in RW than in OW. This similarly occurred with the grain yield. The % yield reduction was negatively correlated with the % pod reduction and the relative rate of leaf expansion (RLAE) reduction. However, the 100-seed weight value was not significantly modified by water treatment (p > 0.05). For instance, landraces that preferred to fill the grain with a lower rate of leaf expansion showed a lower loss in grain yield under drought conditions. These results suggest that the resource partitioning between growing leaves, flowers, and developing pods in Chilean landraces is variable, affecting the common bean drought tolerance.

Highlights

Legumes are important for delivering sustainable agricultural production and play central roles: at the food-system level, as a source of protein; at the production system level by their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen; and at the cropping system level by rotation practices that break pest and disease cycles [1]
This success is related to crop yield, where drought stress is one of the main Mediterranean environmental conditions
In Mediterranean environments, common bean is mainly grown under irrigated conditions, and water stress can affect plant growth and grain yield across the entire growing season [17]

Summary

Introduction

Climatic change is already affecting food security in drylands, those in Africa, Asia, and South America. It occurs through increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and increasing frequency in extreme events (IPCC reports). Legumes are important for delivering sustainable agricultural production and play central roles: at the food-system level, as a source of protein; at the production system level by their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen; and at the cropping system level by rotation practices that break pest and disease cycles [1]. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae) is one of the most important grain legumes worldwide [2–5]. It is a valuable source of dietary protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, among other bioactive compounds [3,6]. Close to 18.9 million tons of common bean are produced worldwide, and the Americas account for 46% of global production

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