Abstract

Common bean is an important food legume crop in Sudan. Drought and heat stress are considered the main factors responsible for low productivity. Nine common bean genotypes were evaluated for yield stability under different sowing dates and watering regimes in three field experiments conducted in the River Nile State-Sudan during 2003 to 2006. 10 test- environments were thus achieved, representing the combined effect of drought and heat stress. Stability analysis (Eberhart and Russel model) was performed to identify the most yield-stable bean lines under limited moisture and temperature stress. The genotypes Bellenber-1, COWU-3-94-9, S/Hashim/98 and the small seeded genotype DB 190-74-1, appeared to be the most stable. It was concluded that these genotypes can be used to improve common bean tolerance to drought and heat stress conditions in the Sudan.

Key words: Drought tolerance, heat stress, Hudeiba, River Nile.