75 years of breeding pinto bean for resistance to diseases in the United States

Abstract

Diseases are major production constraints of pinto bean despite 75 years of breeding. The objectives were to (1) assess progress made and (2) discuss future breeding strategies. Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), anthracnose, rust, white mold, common blight, and halo blight and growth habit, seed weight, and seed coat darkening were evaluated for 52 cultivars released between 1944 and 2001. Sixteen cultivars were resistant to BCMV, 12 to race 53 of rust, five to race 73 of anthracnose, two to halo blight, and none to common blight and white mold. Four were resistant to two and none to three or more diseases. Four had Type I, ten Type II, and others Type III growth habit. Bill Z, Grand Mesa, Montrose, Olathe, Othello, Ouray and Pindak darkened slower in storage. Pintoba had the largest and Cahone smallest seed. An integrated breeding strategy is suggested for simultaneous improvement of resistance to multiple-diseases. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.