Experiments on Different Watering Regimes in Bean Seeds

Water Regime Effect on Crop Seed Yield

• D. Linsalata and VV Bianco, scientists in Italy, studied bean plants experiencing different watering regimes. Linsalata and Bianco returned percentages of water lost during evapotranspiration--the sum of water lost during evaporation and plant transpiration--to bean plants.

  Transpiration, essentially plants sweating, represents a significant water loss similar to water evaporation from lakes, rivers, ponds and soil. Linsalata and Bianco returned 100 percent, 75 percent, 50 percent and 0 percent of evoapotranspirated water to four groups of bean plants and discovered crop yield increases occurring when bean plants received 100 percent of evapotranspirated water. This suggests only adequate water supplies replacing water lost naturally truly affect the growth and crop yield of bean seeds, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science.

Water Stress Effect on Seed Yield

• A collection of Turkish agricultural scientists--M. Isik, Z. --nceler, S. Çakir and F. Altay--researched how differing irrigation levels would affect bean plants. Five test groups received high, medium, low, low-high and high-low levels of water over the course of several seasons. Differences between the irrigation levels appeared greatest during periods of low rainfall. Of the plant hybrids tested, water stress affected Karacasehir90 less than Yunus90. Water stress occurring after flowering proved the most adverse on crop seed yield. The high irrigation level group produced the greatest crop yields, while the low-high and high-low levels produced the lowest yield. This suggests high levels of water irrigation, especially during dry periods, produce the best bean crop yields, according to a 2005 journal article, "Effects of different irrigation regimes on the yield and yield components of dry bean."

Water Stress Effect on Ozone Uptake

• Scientists with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--David T. Tingey, Gail L. Thutt, Marcia L. Gumpertz and William E. Hogsett--tested the influence of water on bean plant ozone sensitivity. The group tested bean plants in a controlled environment chamber with regulated semi-permeable membrane watering systems. As plants experienced different levels of water stress their ability to intake ozone reduced significantly. Within one to three days of serious water stress, bean plants cease ozone uptake. This suggests water stress seriously affects a plant's ability to intake air. Without the ability to "breathe" a plant cannot produce good crop yields. Water stress limits plant respiration and thus seed production and bean crop yields, according to an article in the journal, "Agriculture and Environment."