Drought stress tolerance in common bean: what about highly cultivated Brazilian genotypes?

Drought stress on reproductive stages constitute a major problem for common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production because it affects flowering and pod-filling processes which are highly drought-sensitive. In this study, we used a greenhouse experiment to evaluate the response to drought stress in ten highly cultivated Brazilian genotypes in response to moderate intermittent drought during flowering and pod-filling periods (R7 and R8 stages). Morphological, biochemical, physiological and agronomic traits were used to identify tolerant cultivars and elucidate their strategies to cope this stress. The drought intensity index for the experiment reached 0.63. The cultivar IAC Imperador can be defined as a tolerant cultivar, presenting the lowest grain yield reduction (43%) and a reduced drought susceptibility index (0.65). This cultivar elevated their level of proline in roots under stress, which allowed the osmotic adjustment and the maintenance of an intermediate stomata closure during the day, which maintained the intrinsic WUE stable in NS and DS conditions. In addition, this cultivar was able to mobilize the assimilated carbon for the production of pods and grains, evidenced by the high harvest index and the high grain filling index. In this way, IAC Imperador can be used as a check in breeding programs to identify and select lineages with drought tolerance in common bean.