Morpho-Agronomic Characterisation of Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) from South-Eastern Europe

Abstract

In South-Eastern Europe, the majority of runner-bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) production is based on local populations grown mainly in home gardens. The local runner-bean plants are well adapted to their specific growing conditions and microclimate agro-environments, and show great morpho-agronomic diversity. Here, 142 runner-bean accessions from the five South-Eastern European countries of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Romania were sown and cultivated in their respective countries and characterised using 28 quantitative and qualitative morpho-agronomic descriptors for Phaseolus spp. based on inflorescences, leaves, plants, pods and seeds. For each of these morpho-agronomic descriptors, the accessions can be classified into two or three specific groups. The highest correlations were observed within the fluorescence, seed and pod traits. The highest variability, at 76.39%, was between the different countries, representing different geographic origins, while the variability within the countries was 23.61%. Cluster analysis based on these collected morpho-agronomic data also classified the accessions into three groups according to genetic origins. The data obtained serve as useful genetic information for plant breeders for the breeding of new bean varieties for further studies of the morpho-agronomic traits of the runner bean.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Selected Chilean Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) Genotypes Shows Moderate Agronomic and Genetic Variability

“…In this context, line 3 showed an average of 4.9 seeds per pod, which was significantly ( p > 0.05) higher than the rest of the lines evaluated, which varied between 1.7 (line 19) to 3.2 (line 1) seeds per pod. This result is in accordance with a previous study by Sinkovic et al [ 15 ], who indicated that most of the accessions from South Eastern Europe had 2–3 seeds per pod. In addition, the average number of seeds per pod in a wild population of runner bean was 4.2 [ 40 ].…”

“…The runner bean is characterized by an indeterminate type of growth [ 4 ], which coincides with our results where all the lines exhibited an indeterminate growth type, excepting line 3, which 50% of the plants showed a determined growth habit ( Table 1 ). Similar results were reported by Sinkovic et al [ 15 ], who evaluated a population of 142 accessions of runner bean from South Eastern Europe, and almost all of accessions (excepting three) exhibited an indeterminate plant growth. In addition, Sicard et al [ 27 ] evaluated nine local varieties of P. coccineus from Eastern Italy, and all the varieties showed an indeterminate plant growth.…”

“…coccineus exhibited purple seed and black spots. On the other hand, according to Sinkovic et al [ 15 ] purple seeds belong exclusively to the Andean germplasm, while pink, brown and black seeds are predominantly from the Mesoamerican germplasm. Cream, yellow and red seed colors are present in both gene pool groups.…”

“…Our results are similar to those obtained in previous studies, as in Italian populations of runner bean that had pod lengths that averaged 13.8 cm [ 27 ]. Other studies indicate that the pod length varies between 10 and 15 cm in runner beans [ 5 , 15 , 44 ]. Among the three botanical varieties, var.…”

“…Furthermore, alleles associated with resistance to pathogens such as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum [ 13 ] and Xanthomonas campestris [ 14 ] have been introgressed into common bean by crossing with P. coccineus . However, despite the economic importance and agronomic potential of runner bean, the lack of molecular characterization in germplasm collections restricts its overall utilization, especially as an interspecific hybridization donor species in Phaseolus breeding programs [ 2 , 15 ].…”