EVALUATION OF LIMA BEAN ACCESSIONS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Abstract

ABSTRACT - Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) develops at an optimal temperature in the range of 20-30°C, temperatures above 30-35°C compromise the photosynthetic efficiency of the crop. Considering the importance of lima bean cultivation, the objective of this study was to carry out a morphoagronomic and phenological characterization of 46 lima bean accessions tolerant to high temperatures from the core collection of lima bean at the Universidade Federal do Piauí. The experiment was conducted from February to July 2021 in a completely randomized block design with four replications, where the plot consisted of a pot with two plants. Genotype characterization was performed based on 20 morphoagronomic and phenological descriptors of lima bean. Based on Pearson's correlation, the number of emitted and aborted flowers had a greater genetic correlation with the total number of seeds and pods produced. Pod length and width were positively correlated with seed thickness, length, and width. Five groups were formed based on UPGMA grouping. It was observed that the UFPI-922 and UFPI-945 accessions had a higher performance under high-temperature conditions in relation to the number of flowers and pods emitted, as well as lower values for the number of aborted pods. The accessions UFPI-1037, UFPI-876, UFPI-1036, UFPI-1028, UFPI-1052, UFPI-1064, UFPI-1038, and UFPI-1062 are promising for precocity, productivity, emission of flowers and pods formed, and can be used in breeding programs.