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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338635
Title: Improving adaptation to drought stress in white pea bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L): genotypic effects on grain yield, yield components and pod harvest index

Author
item ASSEFA, TESHALE - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item RAO, IDUPULAPATI - International Center For Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
item Cannon, Steven
item WU, JIXIANG - South Dakota State University
item GUTEMA, ZENBABA - Northern Virginia Community College
item BLAIR, MATTHEW - Tennessee State University
item OTYAMA, PAUL - Iowa State University
item ALEMAYEHU, FITSUME - Ethiopian Agricultural Research
item DAGNE, BELETE - Ethiopian Agricultural Research

Submitted to: Plant Breeding
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/5/2017
Publication Date: 6/29/2017
Citation: Assefa, T., Rao, I.M., Cannon, S.B., Wu, J., Gutema, Z., Blair, M., Otyama, P., Alemayehu, F., Dagne, B. 2017. Improving adaptation to drought stress in white pea bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L): genotypic effects on grain yield, yield components and pod harvest index. Plant Breeding. 136(4):548-561. doi:10.1111/pbr.12496.

Interpretive Summary: Common bean is the most important food legume crop in Africa and Latin America. An important type of bean in many areas within these regions is the small white "navy bean" or "white pea bean," due to cooking characteristics and suitability for canning and export. Many areas where this class of bean is grown also face periodic drought. This study evaluates both cooking and canning quality of small white bean varieties, and drought resistance. The study finds a genetic basis for both drought resistance and cooking characteristics, and identifies other characteristics that can be used in breeding programs to select for superior bean varieties.

Technical Abstract: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume crop in Africa and Latin America where rainfall pattern is unpredictable. The objectives were to identify better yielding common bean lines with good canning quality under drought, and to identify traits that could be used as selection criteria for evaluating drought resistant genotypes. Thirty-five advanced lines were developed through single seed descent and evaluated with a standard check under drought and irrigated at two locations over two years in Ethiopia. Grain yield (GY), pod number per m2, seed number per m2 and seed weight were decreased by 56, 47, 49 and 14 percent, respectively under drought stress. Nine genotypes had better yielding with good canning quality under drought compared to check. Moderate to high proportion of genetic effects were observed under drought conditions for GY and yield components compared to genotype x environment effects. Significant positive correlations between GY, canopy biomass (CB) and pod harvest index (PHI) in drought suggest that CB and PHI could be used as indirect selection criteria for common bean improvement.