Growth characteristics of dry bean genotypes of determinate (Type I), indeterminate small vine (Type II), and indeterminate large vine (Type III) types were evaluated over three spacings and two growing seasons. Important observations include: (i) Type I did not give increased yields in response to planting rows closer together in Trial II because there was a large decrease in harvest index, which did not occur for Types II and III; (2) accumulation of reproductive nodes prior to anthesis is important for high yields, as are biological yield, harvest index and leaf area; and (3) within-habit spacing combinations, factors such as flowering duration, branch-, leaf-and raceme-numbers, and stem length could not be used to predict yield.Yield responses of beans from three morphologically-different, non-climbing types, grown at three spacings, have been described for two trials at Palmira, Colombia, in 1973 and 1974. This paper describes the morphological characteristics and growth rates of these beans as they varied over habit of growth and spacing, and as they related to yield.
MATERIALS AND METHODSBean varieties with Types I, II and III growth habits (determinate, indeterminate small vine and indeterminate large vine, respectively) were grown at three spacings (50 x 5, 50 x 10 and 75 x 10 cm) in three randomized complete blocks. Betweenrow spacings (50 and 75 cm) were whole-plots and combinations of growth habits (Types I, II and III) and within-row spacings (5 and 10 cm) made up the subplots of a split-plot treatment design. Each Type was represented by seven to nine genotypes in Trial I and five in Trial II. Genotypes were nested within growth habits and are listed in Table 5. All genotypes of the same habit and spacing were planted next to each other in single rows 6 m long in Trial I and in three-row 6 m long plots in Trial II.Seed and biological yields were determined by harvesting plants from two central metres of each single-row plot in Trial I and from the middle row of three-row plots in Trial II. Observations on growth analysis variables prior to final harvest, i.e. at anthesis and 20 days later, were taken from each of five consecutive plants from every experimental unit (each factorial combination of genotype, spacing and replication). This five-plant sample was removed 1 m from the end of the row that was ultimately harvested for yield determination.Analyses of variance, linear regressions and correlation analyses were computed, using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) developed by the Department of |Present address: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, PMB 5320, Ibadan, Nigeria.
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