Earliness and developmental characteristics of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes in two growing seasons, pre-winter and winter

Abstract

The aim of present research on snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), which was carried out in the years 2014-2016, to assess the performance of nine varieties/genotypes in two growing seasons of North Indian plains at ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi, UP. In early season (pre-winter), shorter days of first pod-picking (47.5 days), higher picking period index (60.0%), stable and better pod bearing capacity (>21), smaller pod width (<0.85 cm), more pod yield (>110 q/ha), higher genotypic potential realization (92.5%) and greater responsiveness to short day length (4.0-5.5 hr) by genotype VRFBB-91 make it a unique genotype whose genetic potential could be utilized in breeding programmes to widen the genetic variability towards shorter day length, to increase the genotypic adaptability and to harness the potential of earliness in snap bean.