IncreBean: Genomic based improvement of climbing beans

Abstract

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important grain legume and protein source for direct human consumption. Beans are of particular relevance for the diet and income of smallholder farmers in the tropics. Climbing beans, a distinct subgroup of common beans, produce significantly higher yields compared to bush types and showed positive effects on soil fertility. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in collaboration with the ETH Zürich reinforces breeding activities in this neglected climbing type. In the current project, statistical models are developed in order to quickly predict performance of climbing bean genotypes based on genetic marker data. The model-based selection of suitable parental genotypes allows to create superior new breeding lines in a precise manner. The implementation of this recent bioinformatic approaches enables efficient improvement of climbing beans regarding yield and nutrition quality.