Biostimulant and Water Management in Common Bean: Plant Growth and Crop Yield

Abstract

Climate change has led to increasingly frequent dry spells, significantly affecting agricultural systems. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is particularly susceptible to drought stress, especially during flowering. To mitigate these effects, practices such as biostimulant application have become more common. We hypothesized that the use of biostimulants could alleviate drought-induced stress in common beans and that their interaction with different irrigation regimes would influence plant growth and yield. Furthermore, we aimed to determine whether combining biostimulants with varying irrigation depths could improve yield and identify key variables that reflect treatment effects. The experiment was conducted over two growing seasons and involved treatments combining the presence or absence of a biostimulant with five irrigation regimes. Evaluated variables included leaf area, shoot biomass, yield components, and water productivity. Multivariate statistical analyses, including cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), were applied. Results indicated that biostimulant application enhanced early-stage plant growth, particularly under favorable water conditions. Increasing irrigation depth led to greater shoot biomass, leaf area, and yield, highlighting the importance of integrated water and biostimulant management for sustainable bean production.