Common bean seeds from plants subjected to severe drought, restricted- and full-irrigation regimes show differential phytochemical fingerprint

Common bean is rich in phytochemicals like polyphenols, saponins, and steroidal glycosides, but its crop is greatly affected by drought. Thus, it is necessary to identify the irrigation regimes that improves its phytochemical profile without affecting seed yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differential effect of severe drought (SD), restricted irrigation (RI), and full irrigation (FI) on the phytochemical fingerprint of bean seeds through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemometric approach. Partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) indicated that seeds from plants grown under RI where differentiated from those grown under FI and SD due to their high content of quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside and luteolin 7-O-glucoside. Regarding seed yield, no significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed between RI and FI, whereas SD decreased (p < 0.05) seed yield as compared to FI (47%). These results suggest that mild hydric stress (RI) can be used to induce phytochemicals without affecting seed yield.