Drought stability in different common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes
Gustavo Maia Souza; Saulo de Tarso Aidar; Carlos Daniel Giaveno and Ricardo Ferraz de Oliveira
Abstract: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the possible use of the biological stability concept as selection criteria for drought stress in common bean breeding program. Three commercial cultivars (Aporé, Jalo EEP 558, and Jalo Precoce) and the landrace Guarumbé were cultivated in organic substrate under greenhouse conditions. Irrigation was suspended for 10 days period in a half of plants. To evaluate the recovery capacity, plants were irrigated after the drought period. Variables measured were CO2
assimilation (A); transpiration (E); stomatal conductance (gs); water potential (yw ); dry matter (MS), and leaf area (Af). The cultivar Jalo Precoce showed the lowest values of ψw , E, and gs under drought, and after re-irrigation, no complete recovery was observed. The other genotypes showed similar behavior and good stability for these parameters. The smallest reduction values for MS and Af were observed in the landrace, while Jalo Precoce showed the most important decreases. Our results indicate that stability could be considered a good indicator of genotypic behavior and its concept could be incorporated in plant breeding programs.