Mapping yield and yield-related traits using diverse common bean germplasm.

Area of Science:

• Plant Genetics and Breeding
• Genomics
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a vital legume crop, but yield is complex, influenced by multiple genes.
• Improving bean yield requires identifying genetic loci associated with yield and related traits.
• Previous research has identified some genomic regions for bean yield, but more comprehensive mapping is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify genomic regions in common bean associated with yield and yield-related traits.
• To discover novel marker-trait associations (MTAs) and candidate genes for bean improvement.
• To validate gene-based markers for accelerating the selection of high-yielding and disease-resistant bean varieties.

Main Methods:

• Genomic analysis of 121 diverse bean genotypes using the BARCBean6K_3 chip (5,398 SNPs).
• Evaluation of genotypes for yield and related traits across four environments (two locations, two years).
• Association analysis to identify significant MTAs and candidate genes within 200-Kb regions around SNPs.

Main Results:

• Identified 39 significant MTAs between 31 SNPs and 15 traits across all 11 bean chromosomes.
• Discovered novel associations, particularly for derived yield traits, and confirmed previously known regions.
• Located over 600 candidate genes, with 14 SNPs within gene models and 5 SNPs near candidate genes.

Conclusions:

• Confirmed associations of yield/antiyield markers (AYD1m, AYD2m) with yield and seed weight.
• Validated the utility of the NPP marker for common bacterial blight (CBB) resistance screening.
• Validated gene-based markers and QTLs offer tools for accelerating breeding of high-yielding, CBB-resistant common bean cultivars.