Abstract

Among species of the genus Phaseolus, fava is the most tolerant to drought when compared to common beans. Despite its importance, it has been little studied, requiring applied research to the culture for a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the response to the water deficit. This study evaluates the tolerance of four fava genotypes grown in Ceará on their resistance to water stress. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, in the 4 x 3 factorial scheme in which the first factor was constituted by the cultivars: ‘Branca’, ‘Mulatinha’, ‘Preta’ and ‘Coquinho Laranja’; the second by three water regimes: irrigated, moderate deficit and severe deficit; with five replicates. (A), stomatal conductance (gs), Ci / Ca ratio, Transpiration (E), water use efficiency, efficiency in the use of intrinsic water (USA int), instantaneous carboxylation efficiency (EiC) and electron transfer rate (ETR). Without compromising its metabolism, the genotype Coquinho Laranja was more tolerant to the water deficit, evidencing higher photosynthetic productivity, associated with the high efficiency in the use of water by the closure of its stomata with reduction of transpiration.

Keywords:
Phaseolus lunatus L.; gas exchange; drought tolerance