Physiological Response of German Winter Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) to Drought

Drought reduces faba bean yield in many parts of the world. Therefore, it is necessary to develop drought-tolerant faba bean cultivars. Plant breeders need to screen for drought-tolerant germplasm using fast and reliable screening tools, e.g., chlorophyll absorbance, thermo-imaging camera system, and electrical root capacitance. A set of faba bean genotypes was used to screen for drought tolerance. Leaf temperature depression (LTD), measured with the thermo-imaging system, was significantly correlated with both dry regrowth weight (r = 0.423), dry matter 1 (r = 0.629), and fresh regrowth weight (r = 0.573). Moreover, root capacitance (RC) was significantly correlated with fresh weight 1 (r = -0.516). Genotypes S062 and S252 were considered drought tolerant. These two lines can be used in breeding programs to develop drought-tolerant cultivars. On the other hand, RC and LTD could be used as non-destructive screening tools for drought tolerance.