Photosynthetic process of common bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was evaluated from short-term root flooding and recovery conditions. Common bean plants (BRS Expedito genotype) were grown in single plastic pots (1 L), containing soil as substrate. At the early reproductive stage (R1), distilled water was added up to 20 mm above the soil surface to flood the root system of plants for 1 day. The flooding was maintained by fitting a second pot without holes. After 1 day of flooding, the pots without holes were removed to drain water and recover the plants. Control plants were kept under normoxia. Chlorophyll a fluorescence transient, gas exchange, glycolate oxidase, antioxidative enzymes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation were measured in leaves upon flooding (1 day) and recovery (1, 3 and 7 days) conditions. Root flooding (1 day) induced decrease (two-fold) in CO 2 assimilation rate and did not recover even after 7 days of normoxic conditions was re-established, besides limited transpiration rate and decreases in stomatal conductance. Moreover, the continuous light energy absorption by chlorophylls induced an increase in fluorescence and heat and impaired the connectivity between photosystems I and II, leading to ROS formation. The antioxidative enzyme system induced upon flooding and recovery conditions did not deal efficiently with ROS, which led to oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation) in leaves of common bean. Therefore, short-term root flooding impairs photosynthetic process recovery of common bean plants upon re-establishment of normoxic conditions. Keywords Antioxidative enzymes Á Oxidative damage Á Phaseolus vulgaris L. Á Photosynthesis Á Waterlogging 1 Introduction Climate changes are increasing flooding events since the 1950 0 s worldwide (Bailey-Serres et al. 2012; Limami et al. 2014; Pedersen et al. 2017), especially in the 28 million hectares of flood-prone located in Cerrado and lowlands in the South of Brazil (Jackson and Colmer 2005), due to increases in heavy rainfall (IPCC 2014). Currently, the lowland areas are mainly occupied with rice cropping system (Garcia et al. 2020), and food production by small farmers, such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Common bean