Three experiments were carried out to study the effect of different rates of lime, levels of basal chemical fertilizers and split N applications on common bean. The first experiment studied the response of bean to six rates of lime (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 ton ha-1). In the second experiment the response of five bean cultivars/lines (Aporé, Carioca, Novo Jalo, MA534657, and MA534666-2) to three rates of basal fertilizer treatments (200, 400 and 600 kg ha-1 of 4-30-16 complex fertilizer) plus N side dressing of 30 kg ha-1 at 25 days after germination was studied. The third experiment studied the effect of different rates of N fertilization (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg ha-1) applied in one, two, three, and six split applications at ten days interval, from 20 to 70 days after germination. Liming increased the absorption of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Cu and bean yield up to 37%. Aporé cultivar was the most productive and the most responsive to fertilization. Maximum yield of cultivars/lines was obtained with 400 kg ha-1 of fertilizer plus 30 kg ha-1 of N, except for Carioca cultivar. In the third experiment the bean yield increased by N fertilization up to 120 kg ha-1 and the highest yield was 3,170 kg ha-1. The number of split N in side dressing applications did not affect bean yield.
Phaseolus vulgaris; irrigation; grains; yields; mineral nutrients; nitrogen fertilizers; nutrient uptake
