Abstract

Plant growth is one of the most sensitive physiological processes to water deficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate different levels of water replacement combined in two periods of the bean cycle, cv. IAC Alvorada, with respect to the biometric parameters. The study was carried out for two years (2010 and 2011) in a Red Latosol, distroferric, of clay texture, in Botucatu, SP. The experimental design was a randomized block in factorial 4×4, with four replications. The treatments consisted of four water replacement levels of 40, 60, 80 and 100% of ETc, applied in two phases in crop cycle, with phase I - beginning after emergence to flowering, and phase II from flowering to physiological grain maturity. The treatment with 100% ETc consisted of increasing the soil water content at field capacity, with a deficit in percentage for the other treatments. The variables evaluated were: Leaf area index, number of nodes, and plant height. Reducing the water applied in the vegetative or reproductive phases significantly affected leaf area index and plant height. Plant height was the most sensitive component to water deficit. It was concluded that different combinations of irrigation regimes provided different responses in the development parameters of common bean.

Key words: Phaseolus vulgaris L., growth analysis, yield components, irrigation.