IncreBean

Common bean is the most important grain legume and protein source for human consumption worldwide. The main objective of this project is the implementation of methods and technologies to increase the genetic gain in climbing bean breeding, to assist the development of improved climbing bean varieties.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important grain legume and protein source for human consumption worldwide, of particular importance for nutrition and income of smallholder farmers in the tropics. Climbing beans, a morphologically distinct subgroup of common beans, are reported to have two to three times the yield of bush types. Climbing bean production is requiring more manual labor but is ideal for land-limited smallholder farmers in developing countries. This has led to a large success and spread of climbing beans during the last three decades in sub-Saharan countries such as Rwanda. Despite a multitude of advantages of climbing beans compared to bush types (e.g. higher biomass, increased stress tolerance and nitrogen fixation rates), breeding activities have mainly been focused on bush types during the last decades. In addition, the longer generation time of climbing beans further decreases the annual genetic gain that can be achieved by breeding.

Genomic selection, a modern form of marker-assisted selection, offers opportunities to improve speed and accuracy of the selection process in climbing bean breeding, thereby increasing the genetic gain per year. This project aims to develop the data and analysis methods required to implement genomic selection in climbing beans, and to combine this efficient selection method with techniques for growth cycle acceleration. Increased genetic gain will directly feed into the existing breeding program at CIAT and, beyond the frame of this project, will deliver outperforming climbing bean varieties to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers in target areas. This will further simulate spreading of climbing bean production in developing countries, which will allow for increased bean production using less land area while aiding soil fertility – an example case of sustainable intensification!