Subdivision of nitrogen fertilization in irrigated bean culture in the Middle-North of Mato Grosso, Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of subdividing nitrogen fertilization on irrigated beans into two moments. The study was developed in Vera, MT, Brazil, from August to November 2012, under central pivot in direct sowing system. The experimental design consisted in randomized blocks with 10 treatments and four replications. Treatments consisted in dividing nitrogen application in two moments (sowing and coverage) with the final dose of 120 kg ha(-1) except for the control treatment which received only 30 kg ha(-1) at sowing. The following characteristics were evaluated: plant dry weight at flowering and at harvest, plant height and insertion of the first pod, nitrogen content in leaf and in grain, chlorophyll analysis (nitrogen sufficiency index and SPAD), nitrogen export, number of grains per pod and pods per plant, weight of one hundred grains and productivity. Pearson correlation was carried out for all factors. There was a significant difference between treatments only for productivity and nitrogen export, and the best results were observed in treatments that received fertilization equally divided between sowing and coverage. Production components that correlated with productivity were weight of one hundred grains and number of pods per plant.