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The influence of soil water potential on the flowering pattern, pod set and yield of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

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Summary

The effect of the soil water potential on pod yield of snap beans grown with a series of irrigation frequencies was studied over two seasons. The treatments were to furrow-irrigate either weekly or fortnightly during the preflowering period, and each treatment then received weekly or fortnightly irrigations to harvest. These treatments were compared with trickle irrigation applied daily in the first season and every second day in the second season. The irrigation frequencies during the pre-flowering period did not influence the pod yield. However, in the second season plants given the trickle irrigation treatment produced more early flowers and set pods earlier than those in the other treatments. Consequently the pods were harvested three days earlier from plants on this treatment.

Pod yield was determined by the irrigation treatments applied after flowering. The highest yield was similar in each season (16.7 t ha−1) and was produced under trickle irrigation. Fortnightly irrigations during the pod-fill phase reduced yield by 56% in the first season and 41% in the second season when compared with trickle irrigation. The pod yield was reduced by 0.5 t ha−1 each day the soil water potential at 30 cm depth was less than −50 kPa. This relationship accounted for about 77% of the variation in pod yield.

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  1. CSIRO Division of Irrigation Research, 2680, Griffith, N.S.W., Australia

    W. A. Muirhead & R. J. G. White

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  1. W. A. Muirhead
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  2. R. J. G. White
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Muirhead, W.A., White, R.J.G. The influence of soil water potential on the flowering pattern, pod set and yield of snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Irrig Sci 3, 45–56 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00251382

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00251382

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