SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE OF FABA BEAN PLANTS IN RELATION TO GROWTH AND YIELD

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken during 1997/1998 and 1998/1999 growing seasons study the effect of two row directions, three distances between plants per row and their interaction on the spectral reflectance, in addition to the impact on growth and yield of faba bean plants cultivar Giza 716. The obtained results indicate that the row direction and the interaction between row direction and plant density had no significant effect on most of growth characteristics, yield component and yield of faba bean. But, the dense planting tended to increase of plant height, LAI, biomass I area, seed yield (tlfad), pod yield (tlfad), straw yield (t/fad) and biological yield (t/fad); whereas, it decreased branches number I plant, leaf area I plant, biomass I area, number and weight of pods I plant, stem weight I plant and weight of plant. • None of the microclimatic indices was affected significantly by row direction treatments, plant density treatments or their interaction. TMl, TM2 and TM3 values showed a slight decrease, on the other hand TM4 and NDVI values increased considerably, with magnitude of the phenological stages until fruiting stage (80- 100 days from planting). The final biomass production was positively and significantly correlated with fresh and dry weight and water content I plant during the fruiting stage more than with the other stages.