Abstract:
with the effects of drought, that is prevalent among small scale producers living in Uganda. The objective of this
study was to assess the level of drought tolerance in bean genotypes to be used for the initial development of
drought-tolerant genotypes in Uganda. Three local genotypes and five exotic drought-tolerant lines were
phenotyped under well-watered and drought-stress conditions. Drought tolerant genotypes were selected basing
on high value for the geometric mean for seed yield and low drought susceptibility indices. The exotic lines, SEN
98, SCR48 and SEN 99, emerged superior in these attributes, and in pod partitioning index (PPI) and pod harvest
index (PHI). Thus, these genotypes could be useful sources of genes for drought tolerance in the bean breeding
programme in Uganda. The local genotype, NABE 15 was similar to the three promising materials for PPI and
PHI. Pods per plant and seed weight were the yield components most affected by drought, with reductions of 82
and 78 %, respectively, for SEN 98.