Phosphorus fertilizer on the growth and yield of iron biofortified common bean
Abstract
Common bean is a major grain legume consumed worldwide and it is important as it serves
a major source of proteins to the bodies. A beneficial feature of common bean is its ability to
associate with rhizobia bacteria in its root nodules to fix atmospheric nitrogen through
symbiotic association. The common bean production trend in Uganda has increased over the
years though yields are still below the potential which is attributed to poor agronomic
practices, phosphorus fixation in the soil, pests and diseases and also low soil fertility.
This field experiment was conducted at MUARIK in Wakiso district to investigate the effect
of phosphorus fertilizer application to biofortified common bean. Four treatments were set up
(0,10,20,30KgPha-1) and the experiment was laid in a Randomized Complete Block design
composed of three replications. Data was recorded on plant height, number of leaves, number
of seeds per pod, number of pods per plant, weight of 100 seeds and grain yield. GenStat 14th
edition was used as the analysis tool to determine the level of significance of the studied traits
using ANOVA. The results showed that 30KgPha-1 produced the highest number of leaves
and crop yield and there was also a significant increase in the growth and yield components
of the biofortified common bean. Based on the results the promising rate of phosphorus
fertilizer application to biofortified common bean is 30KgPha-1. It is also recommended to
carry out the same study in different localities with varying extents of phosphorus fertilizer
application in order to have a general recommendation on the optimum rate that leads to
maximum growth and yield of biofortified common bean.