PLANT POPULATION AND YIELD OF EARLY DRY BEANS

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the effect of ow spacing and the number of plants in the row on grain yield, ield components, pod growth and pod abortion rates of dry bean Phaseolus vulgaris L.), as variables for selecting and evaluating early lines. The experiment was conducted under field conditions at the ";Embrapa Arroz e Feijão research center, in Goiás, in the winter of 2000. The genotypes, Jalo Precoce, indeterminate growth habit and the PR93201472 line determinate growth habit, and both with cycles of 75 to 80 days were sowed in row spacings of 0.30 m, 0.40 m and 0.50 m, with ten, thirteen and sixteen plants per meter. During the pod filling period the traits evaluated were the numbers of pods and seeds per plant, pod and seed dry weight, pod growth rate and pod abortion rate. Grain yield and yield components were also evaluated at physiological maturity. Grain yield was significantly influenced by row spacing and maximum yield was obtained in the 0.40 m row spacing. The number of seeds per area was the trait that best explained seed yield variation.

KEY-WORDS: Phaseolus vulgaris; row spacing; yield components.