The bean crop is often sown after the ideal time in southem Brazil which brings along a decrease in grain yield. This experiment was carriça out in Lages, SC, with the purpose of looking for alternativos in the arrangement and population of plants as a way of compensating the small production of grains in late sowings. A split-split piot design with the main piots arranged in randomized complete blocks was used. Two cultivars, Barriga Verde (indeterminate erect, type II growing habit) and Carioca 80 SH (indeterminate prostate, type III growing habit) were tested in the main piot. Row spacings o f 0.2 5m and 0.50m were used in the split piot and plant populations o f 200, 300 and 400 thousand pl ha-1were observed in the split split piot. The increase in plant population promoted a greater number o f grains per área, specially for the indeterminate erect cultivar at the narrower row spacing, having a concomitant decrease in seed weight. The use of0.2 5m row spacing enhanced Barriga Verde's grain yield and decreased Carioca's grain productivity at high plant populations.
Phaseolus vulgaris; cultivar; grain yield; spacing
