Common bean (
Phaseolus vulgaris
) is an important source of protein in the diet of more than 300 million people throughout the world. Studies on the domestication and organization processes of the common bean genetic variability was first based on morphological traits and biochemical markers and over the last years, several research groups have made efforts in the development of microsatellite markers for common bean, those are considered the most informative class of markers. Early efforts to transform common beans demonstrated its susceptibility to Agrobacterium, and some transgenic tissues or organs, such as calli, leaves, meristems, cotyledon, and hypocotyl have been achieved. In 1993, it was the first reported
P. vulgaris
transformation, presenting molecular evidences of transgenic progeny. Recently, reproducible systems, based on
Agrobacterium
and biolistics process, have been developed to achieve transgenic bean plants routinely. Using these systems, some agronomically important genes have been introduced into common bean, such as: the methionine‐rich 2S albumin gene from Brazil nut,
bar
gene that confers resistance to glufosinate ammonium, LEA protein gene, and genes for resistance to the
Bean golden mosaic virus
(BGMV). Herbicide and BGMV‐resistant plants were the first transgenic common bean plants to be evaluated under field conditions.