Differing efficiencies of potassium utilization in strains of Snapbeans,Phaseolus Vulgaris L.

Summary The capacities of sixty-six strains of snapbeans to grow in potassium-deficient media were compared in nutrient culture experiments. Marked differences were observed, particularly in the severity of potassium-deficiency symptoms. From this initial screening, two of the most efficient strains and three of the most inefficient were selected for detailed nutritional and genetic studies. The unusual capacity of some strains to produce normal growth under potassium deficiency was not due to greater seed size or to greater size and competitive ability of the root systems. Marked differences in the strains persisted even when grown in separate culture tanks and with differences in seed content of potassium compensated for in the total potassium supply. Variations in efficiency of potassium utilization were not associated with higher levels of potassium in efficient plants, and they did not appear to be associated with substitution of sodium for potassium. The importance of this investigation in indicating the possibilities for developing strains and varieities of crop plants particularly adapted for low-fertility soils or other unusual nutritional environments is discussed briefly.Published with the approval of the Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. This investigation is a portion of a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree. The work presented was supported in part by the National Science Foundation with grant GB3474 and in part by the Campbell Soup Company.