Influences of different water-stress treatments on growth, development and production of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris. L.)

Abstract

This work aimed to investigate the influences of different levels of applied water stress on growth, development and production of two different cultivars of snap bean. The two cultivars were Giza3, which is widely cultivated as a local cultivar and Bronco, which is considered a prospective variety for exportation. The experiments were carried out during the two successive seasons of the years 1995/1996. The seedlings were transplanted in sandy plastic pots at the fourth leaf stage and transferred to a controlled growth chamber. After one week of moving to the controlled growth chamber, the seedlings were treated with different waterstress treatments counted as percentage of the field capacity by weight (50%, 75%, 100% and 125%). Plant growth and physiological parameters were recorded at different developmental stages. The results obtained showed that vegetative growth represented in plant height and number of leaves were significantly influenced by water-stress treatments. It was obvious that chlorophyll content, flower numbers, and fruit-set percentage of both varieties were immensely reduced. It has been found that the treatment 100% of field capacity befits the Giza3 variety, while the Bronco variety was pronounced under 75% of field capacity with the fewest possible deformed pod percentages and total fiber content as well as the increment in total protein content.