Common bean grain yield as affected by sulfur fertilization and cultivars
Resumo
A better understanding of the differential growth of common bean cultivars with increasing soil sulfur (S) availability
can indicate how to improve common bean grain yield in soils of Savannas. The objective of this study was to evaluate
the response of sprinkler-irrigated common bean cultivars to sulfur fertilization in a no-tillage system. The experiment
was designed as a randomized block in a split-plot scheme with sulfur rates (0, 10, 20, 40, and 60 kg ha-1) as main plots and
common bean cultivars (BRS Requinte, BRS Cometa, Diamante Negro, BRS Grafite, BRS Valente, and Corrente) as
subplots, with three replications. Common bean cultivars did not differ regarding grain yield response to sulfur rates,
which fitted to a quadratic equation. Among the cultivars tested, only BRS Requinte and BRS Valente differed in grain
yield for S fertilization, the first being more productive. Moreover, S fertilization allows significant increases in common
bean grain yield in average of six cultivars and must be considered in cropping systems aiming for high yields.