Domesticated and Wild Tepary Bean: Field Performance with and without Drought‐Stress

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Abstract
The tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) is reputed to be heat and drought tolerant, but the literature contains little information on yield performance of tepary in different conditions. To fill this void, replicated field studies were conducted to measure and compare yield, seed protein concentration, and seed weight of 16 domesticated and eight wild tepary lines at the hot, dry location of Riverside, CA. Well‐watered and drought‐stressed conditions were set up in the summer of 1978. The experiment was repeated with six of the domesticated lines in the spring and summer of 1979. Significant differences were found among the wild lines and among the domesticated lines for the three traits measured. Mean yield and seed weight of wild teparies were 40 and 75% lower than those of domesticates, but mean protein concentration of the two groups was the same (27.6%). Moderate drought‐stress reduced the mean yield of teparies by 55%, but did not reduce protein concentration or seed weight. Seed yield showed a positive correlation with seed weight (r = 0.78), but a negative correlation with seed protein concentration (r = −0.75) in domesticated teparies.