Evaluation of Common Bean for Drought Tolerance in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

Drought tolerance is an increasingly important trait in common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) due to the reduction in water resources, a shift in production areas and increasing input costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate 29 genotypes for drought tolerance under drought stress (DS) and reduced stress treatments in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The use of DS and reduced stress treatments facilitated the identification of drought tolerant germplasm that also had good yield potential under more optimal conditions. Based on the results of seed yield under DS and reduced stress conditions, and DS indices, including the geometric mean (GM), stress tolerance index (STI) and percent yield reduction (YR), genotypes were identified with greater yield potential under the tested environment. Based on average GM over the 2 years, the superior common bean genotypes identified were SEA 5, G 21212, A 686, SEN 21 and SER 21. These genotypes performed well in both years and under both treatment conditions and thus may serve as parents for DS improvement and genetic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]