<![CDATA[The nutritional benefits of legumes to humans are surpassed only by those of the Gramineae family. The common bean (Phaseolus voulgaris L.) is one of the most widely cultivated legume crops and an important source of protein in South Korea. Among the major abiotic stresses affecting common bean production in South Korea, drought stress is the most significant. However, the most vulnerable stages of drought stress after planting are unknown. Therefore, this research has been conducted. The RWR2245 common bean variety was planted in a greenhouse after land preparation under a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Three drought stress treatments were imposed during the growth period at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after planting (3 WAP, 6 WAP, and 9 WAP, respectively) by withholding water for 10 days, followed by a 1-week recovery period before data collection. The recorded data included plant height, leaf number, number of floral buds, shoot dry weight, lateral root number, primary root length, root nodule count, root dry weight, quantum photosynthetic yield, and maximum photochemical efficiency. These measurements were compared with those of the control treatment. The data were analyzed for variance (p < 0.05) using Minitab 2025 version 22 3.1 and Microsoft Excel. Except for the number of nodules, water stress significantly decreased for all measured parameters at 6 WAP, whereas at 9 WAP, only the number of leaves decreased significantly. Drought stress at 3 WAP resulted in significant decreases in all studied parameters except primary root length and leaf number. At 9 WAP, drought stress had no effect on the number of floral buds or pods; however, common bean plants were more tolerant to drought stress at 9 WAP. Further studies are needed to enhance common bean tolerance to drought stress across different growth stages to increase productivity, particularly at 6 WAP, which proved to be the most vulnerable stage.]]>
