Development of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) Production Under Low Soil Phosphorus and Drought in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

Abstract

Owing to its nutritional value, especially proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and micronutrients, common bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) has been recognised as a crop that could ensure food security mostly, in Sub-Saharan Africa, where its productivity is low. Its low productivity is attributed to a milliard of constraints, of which low plant-available phosphorus (P) and limited moisture in soil are among the major limiting factors. Synergistic effects of the two factors are accentuated in Sub-Saharan African region. This paper discloses the importance of the synergistic effects of plant-available P and moisture in soils on common bean production. It has been observed that studies investigating impacts of interactions of low P levels and moisture deficit conditions in soils are yet to be conducted. Identification of traits that contribute to high performance under low P availability and moisture deficit in the same genotypes remains a major research and development challenge. However, engineering new genotypes alone may not alleviate the problem of ensuring improvement of high bean yields. Root architecture and root exploration of the soil that enable the plant to access the two soil resources, traditional methods that preserve good status of organic matter in soils and moisture and soil preparation techniques are equally important. This, calls for holistic investigations that include soil plant-available P and moisture, common bean genotypes and their root systems, and agronomic measures to facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of impacts of deficiencies in soils on common bean yields. This paper explores and synthesizes existing research and development of common bean grown in soils deficient in plant-available P and moisture, aiming at designing future research to enhance common bean productivity.

Development and production response of edible and forage varieties of pea (Pisum sativum L.) to temporary soil drought under different levels of phosphorus application

“…The greatest production of pulse crops (70%) is in India, China, and Africa [3,4]. A factor severely limiting the production of pulse crops is water, as pointed out by Peterson et al [5] and Namugwanya et al [6]. A lack of stability of pulse yields is observed not only on dry continents, but in recent years also in the temperate climate conditions characteristic of Europe [7].…”

Identification of QTL Associated with Drought Tolerance in Andean Common Bean

“…The dry seed is an important component of nutrition and food security for millions in the developing world, providing a cheap source of protein (65%), energy (32%), and vital micronutrients (Welch et al, 2000). Common bean is a particularly important crop in Rwanda and western Kenya, where the highest global per capita consumption of 60 kg has been reported (Akibode and Maredia, 2012;Namugwanya et al, 2014). In Uganda, beans provide 21.9% of the protein in the diet, with a per capita consumption of 27 kg (Larochelle et al, 2016).…”

Conservation Farming and Changing Climate: More Beneficial than Conventional Methods for Degraded Ugandan Soils

“…In our study, the response of bean grain yields to fertilizer and the newly introduced conservation farming tillage practices was below the yield potential, notwithstanding the remarkable increase. Other workers [53][54][55][56] have observed that yields from on-farm trials were enhanced by using improved seeds and fertilizers, but yields still remained below the genetic potential. This has been attributed to management factors that contributed to poor early-season vigor, in-season plant loss, and environmental stresses.…”