Project : USDA ARS

ARS Home » Midwest Area » East Lansing, Michigan » Sugarbeet and Bean Research » Research » Research Project #434573

Research Project: Utilizing Genetic Diversity within Phaseolus vulgaris to Develop Dry Beans with Enhanced Functional Properties

Location: Sugarbeet and Bean Research

2021 Annual Report

Objectives
Objective 1: Develop U.S. adapted fast cooking dry bean cultivars and germplasm across multiple market classes using phenotypic evaluations combined with molecular tools and marker-assisted breeding methods. Sub-objective 1: To identify, evaluate, and screen the food ingredient and nutritional quality of pea, chickpea, lentil and beans to enable development of new varieties suited for use as an ingredient. Objective 2: Understand genetic variability for anthocyanin composition and color retention in black beans to expand uses for black beans and processing byproducts. Sub-objective 2: To develop pre and post milling treatments to improve the food ingredient quality of pea, chickpea, lentil and beans.

Approach
Objective 1: Fast cooking U.S. adapted dry bean germplasm will be developed within yellow, cranberry, kidney and black bean market classes. Fast cooking germplasm will be crossed to U.S. adapted germplasm within each market class. Plant selection during the breeding cycle will be based on plant architecture, seed type, pod load, maturity, disease resistance, and cooking time and nutritional quality characteristics. QTL associated with cooking time will be identified and validated by conducting QTL analyses and compiling results from three recombinant inbred populations and three diversity panels grown in multiple locations and across multiple years. Mechanisms and shelf life of fast cooking bean genotypes will be evaluated. Components to be measured include: seed coat weight, seed hardness, water uptake during soaking, seed germination, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, cell wall components, including water soluble pectin, cellulose, total protein, total starch, and resistant starch. Beans will be evaluated for use as a flour ingredient. Genetic diversity for flour milling quality will be assessed in a diversity panel of two sets of germplasm, the first will be commercial bean varieties grown in Michigan. The second will a panel lines previously identified to have unique cooking, canning or nutritional characteristics. The following flour attributes will be measured: particle size distribution, water holding capacity, gelatinization temperature, and pasting properties. Objective 2: Develop improved black bean germplasm with superior end use quality, especially canning quality and color retention. New uses of black beans will be evaluated, especially for anthocyanins that can be extracted for use as a colorant. The specific anthocyanins profile of black bean seed coats of select genotypes will be measured and the best anthocyanin profile for colorants will be determined.

Progress Report
Objective 1: One Quantitative Train Locus (QTL) study on seed quality traits including cooking time, flavor, and texture in a yellow dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) population was published in a peer-reviewed journal. Progress was made in the development of molecular markers for cooking time. Genomic regions associated with cooking time QTL were identified based on previous QTL and RNAseq studies. Four bean genotypes with the known QTL were used for genome resequencing. This genomic information will be used for marker development. A paper entitled “Genetic variability of cooking time in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) related to seed coat thickness and the cotyledon cell wall” was published on the mechanisms associated with cooking time genetic variability. A study on the shelf life of fast cooking beans was conducted. Seeds from the 2020 field season of select breeding lines were artificially aged in chambers set to mimic tropical and temperate storage conditions and following the treatment, cooking times were measured. Scanning electron microscopy was also conducted to evaluate how the treatments influenced the cell wall thickness of the beans under the storage conditions. An industry survey on interest in the use of bean flour was developed and conducted. A draft of the results has been written up for publication. Milling quality based on particle size and fatty acid profile were evaluated in bean, pea, lentil and chickpea cultivars. Regular and slow darkening pinto beans from ARS, Prosser and North Dakota State University were evaluated for flour quality. Objectives 1 and 2: Fifty-four yellow, 48 kidney, 58 cranberry, and 32 black bean early generation (F3 to F6) breeding lines were field selected in Fall 2020. These lines were sent to a winter nursery in Puerto Rico for advancement and selection for seed color in the subsequent generation. In winter of 2021 new crosses were made in the yellow, kidney, black, nuna, otebo, and cranberry market classes. In total 66 different crosses were made using diverse germplasm sources as the parental materials. In addition to agronomic characteristics, greenhouse screening for Fusarium root rot and bean common mosaic virus was conducted on early generation lines, and molecular marker data (SNP markers) were conducted for multiple single gene traits, including bean common mosaic virus including I gene and BC3 and two common bacterial blight resistant markers[LR1]: SAP6 and SU91. Phenotypic evaluation of cooking time, seed iron and zinc concentration, and iron bioavailability, and canning quality was conducted to select best breeding lines to advance. In 2021 the following breeding nurseries were field planted: Advanced yield trials: 24 cranberry, 24 yellow, 24 kidney, 16 black; Preliminary yield trials: 26 yellow, 34 cranberry, 16 kidney and 7 black beans. In addition, one black and two yellow breeding lines were sent for Michigan regional testing, two yellow beans for a trial in Nebraska, and three yellow bean lines were sent to Idaho for disease free seed production. Black bean breeding lines were assessed for their ability to produce food safe blue color.

Accomplishments
1. Virtual evaluation of canning quality in dry beans. Dry and canned beans are the major forms available to consumers. Since dry beans require long cooking times, U.S. consumers generally favor canned beans for convenience. While canning quality is the major end-use quality attribute important in bean cultivar development, Michigan is the only location in the U.S. with the capacity to conduct large scale evaluations. ARS scientists at East Lansing, Michigan, in collaboration with researchers at Michigan State University, recently revamped their pilot scale canning and post canning protocols to increase throughput and optimize processing conditions for each of the 10 major U.S. market classes. Additionally, the post canning evaluation, which has traditionally relied on in-person quality ratings by trained sensory panelists, was adapted for virtual evaluations. A training video was also developed that comprehensively describes canning quality characteristics and evaluation scales for each market class. Bean breeders and stakeholders both nationally and internationally are benefitting from the training video and virtual canning evaluations through greater access to the quality measures protocols.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Sugarbeet and Bean Research: East Lansing, MI