Faba bean (Vicia faba L.), a major legume crop, helps in maintaining soil health by fixing atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) and thus mostly used as a rotational crop. However, faba bean is sensitive to water stress, which limits its yield potential in water-limited environments. The objectives of the present study were to (i) characterize the agro-physiological performance of 14 faba bean genotypes with different genetic backgrounds to various levels of water stress in an arid environment and (ii) identify the most drought-tolerant genotypes that maximize the marginal use of unit water without significant yield loss. Field experiments were conducted for two consecutive growing seasons in an arid Mediterranean climate, and several agronomic and physiological measurements of different faba bean genotypes in response to water stress were recorded. A great variation among the tested genotypes, according to several drought-response indices, was observed as a result of water stress on the basis of which they were classified into five groups (A–E) ranging from drought-tolerant to highly sensitive genotypes. Yield and water productivity results indicated that drought-tolerant genotypes produced more yield with less water compared with drought-sensitive genotypes and thus are highly recommended for faba bean production in water-limited environments. Certain physiological parameters, such as photosynthetic pigment, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, leaf nutrient status (N, P and K content), relative water content and membrane stability index, exhibited highly positive association with seed yield and yield contributing traits. It is valid to use these parameters as rapid indicators of drought tolerance in breeding programs aiming to screen and improve faba bean genotypes for drought tolerance in arid environments.

主要的豆类作物蚕豆（Vicia faba L.）通过固定大气中的氮（N _2）有助于维持土壤健康。），因此通常用作轮作作物。但是，蚕豆对水分胁迫敏感，这限制了在水分受限环境中的单产潜力。本研究的目的是（i）在干旱环境中表征14种具有不同遗传背景的蚕豆基因型在不同水平的水分胁迫下的农业生理表现，以及（ii）确定最大程度耐旱的基因型。少量使用单位水量，不会显着降低产量。在干旱的地中海气候下连续两个生长季节进行了田间试验，并记录了响应水分胁迫的不同蚕豆基因型的几种农艺和生理学测量值。根据几个干旱响应指数，测试的基因型之间存在很大差异，观察到由于水分胁迫的结果，将其分为从耐旱到高敏感基因型的五组（AE）。产量和水分生产率的结果表明，与干旱敏感的基因型相比，耐旱的基因型以更少的水分产生了更高的产量，因此强烈建议在缺水的环境中进行蚕豆的生产。某些生理参数，例如光合色素，净光合速率，蒸腾速率，叶片养分状况（N，P和K含量），相对水分含量和膜稳定性指数，与种子产量和产量贡献性状表现出高度正相关。