Agronomic characteristics and productivity of bean en Caazapa-Paraguay

Beans (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) are widely used in the diet of Paraguayan families, due to their high protein content. It is planted in crop rotation systems to take advantage of the capacity of its roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen, in accordance with agroecological practices. The aim of this work was to evaluate the agronomic yield of seven bean cultivars in the agroecological conditions of Caazapa, Paraguay. The experiment was established at the Experimental Field of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, National University of Asuncion, Caazapa Branch, Paraguay (26[degrees] 09' 28" South and 56[degrees] 21' 00" West). A randomized complete block experimental design with seven treatments and four replications was used. Treatments consisted of the bean cultivars Pyta'i (Colorado Chico), San Francisco'i (San Francisco Chico), San Francisco Guazu (San Francisco Grande), Moteado, Crema, Negrito and Tronquito. The following agronomic characteristics were evaluated: pod length, number of seeds per pod, 100-seed mass, podded grain yield, and dry grain yield and grain index. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and the means compared by Tukey's test at 5 % probability of error. The cultivars Crema, Pyta'i, San Francisco'i and Moteado stood out for their higher dry bean yield and bean index, while San Francisco Guazu stood out for its higher 100-seed mass.