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Title: Understanding and improving flavor in snap beans: Screening the USDA Phaseolus core collection for pod sugar and flavor compounds

Author
item Bethke, Paul
item Kisha, Theodore
item NIENHUIS, JAMES - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/2/2016
Publication Date: 4/1/2016
Citation: Nienhuis, J., Kisha, T., Bethke, P. 2016. Understanding and improving flavor in snap beans: Screening the USDA Phaseolus core collection for pod sugar and flavor compounds. Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report. 59:31-32.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of our research is to gain knowledge regarding variation in sugar and flavor content among a sample of dry bean and green pod-type accessions from the USDA Phaseolus Germplasm Core Collection, Pullman, WA. Knowledge of the variation will allow better utilization of germplasm resources in the development of new bean cultivars with more desirable sugar and flavor profiles. The results of this project could be used to market product quality and offer unique opportunities to expand market share to an increasingly health conscious population. We developed a diverse sub-core of 94 Plant Introductions (PI) characterized as snap beans, Romano-types, and other beans eaten as edible immature pods, and 20 dry bean PI accessions. In addition checks included a kidney bean (Montcalm, Andean gene pool) as well as 8 cultivars (e.g. Caprice, Huntington, 04-88, OSU5402, OSU5630, Masai, Slenderpack, Tapia) representing the various market classes consumed as edible green pods currently grown commercially in the United States. Accessions were grown in replicated trials at the West Madison Agriculture Experiment Station, Madison, WI and five pods sampled from each plot when the pods were sieve size 4 (8.33-9.52 mm) 90o off the suture. A large positive correlation (r=0.79**) was observed between the simple sugars glucose and fructose. In contrast a large negative correlation was observed between the disaccharide sucrose with both mono-saccharides, glucose (r=-0.37) and fructose (r=-0.43). Glucose concentration had a mean of 19.96 mg g-1 dry weight, and ranged from near zero to over 40mg g-1 dry weight. P.I accessions with high concentrations of sucrose were generally heirloom and modern commercial snap beans cultivars, e.g. Provider, Eagle, Cascade, Hystyle and BBL47. Fructose concentration had a mean of 19.9 mg g-1 dry weight, and ranged from near zero to over 50mg g-1 dry weight. Sucrose had a much lower mean concentration of 3.7 mg g-1 dry weight, and ranged from near zero to over 14 mg g-1 dry weight. The range and concentrations of mono- and disaccharide sugars is consistent with those previously observed by in a recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between a black dry bean cultivar Puebla 152 and the white seeded commercial snap bean cultivar, Eagle. The magnitude of variation for sugar concentrations among both accessions from the core collection and the high heritabilities previously identified previously in the RIL population suggests that selection should be effective in developing genotypes with high or low levels of mono- and disaccharide sugars.