Salt stress and transplant time in snap bean: growth and productive behaviour

High quality water is less available for agriculture and thus farmers often use saline water, that affects crop growth and yield. Snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is sensitive to soil and water salinity, and also to heat stress. The aim of this research is to evaluate if a postponed transplant (high temperature stress) of snap bean can influence growth and yield under saline conditions. Snap bean ‘Bolero’ was irrigated with water at 5 salt levels (0.7, 3.0, 6.0, 9.0 and 12.0 dS m-1) in factorial combination with two transplant time: ordinary (first week of June=OT) and postponed (first week of July=PT). The percentage of plant survival and plant growth were measured throughout the whole growth cycles. Irrigations with saline water resulted in increased values of soil salinity. The PT cycle was shorter than OT cycle and fewer accumulated GDDs were necessary for ripening (658.7 °C vs. 790.5 of OT cycle). Saline treatments caused a decrease of survival percentage, growth, LA and yield. Also high temperature stress determined a decrease of growth and yield, especially of number of marketable pods per square meter, not compensated by a higher plant density. Therefore, it doesn’t seem favourable to postpone the transplant of snap bean under saline conditions.