Phosphorus fertilization in the sowing furrow and foliar as affecting the common beans grain yield

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element in plant metabolism, and limiting the production of beans. One option would be through foliar fertilization, favoring the reduction of phosphate fertilizers in the soil, causing economic and environmental gains. However, this practice is still carried out without scientific basis, making it difficult to obtain reliable results. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the foliar P application increases the efficiency of utilization of P from soil by bean. The trial was conducted for three consecutive years in a representative soil of the Cerrado in the winter season with supplemental irrigation. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replicates in a factorial scheme 4 (rates of P applied in the soil) x 4 (rates of P applied foliar). The Increased in the rates of P applied to soil and foliar provided increased in the number pods m-2, grain yield and P content in the common bean plant. The highest grain yield (3,446 kg ha-1) was obtained with the combination of 120 kg ha-1 of P2O5 in the soil with 1662 g of P2O5 ha-1 foliar. The crop response to the application of P in the soil was increased with foliar application.