Location: Grain Legume Genetics Physiology Research
2022 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. New environmentally friendly dry bean cultivars released. ARS researchers in Prosser, Washington, released new pinto “USDA Cody”, red “USDA Lava” and pink “USDA Sunrise” bean cultivars which were developed for superior seed quality and performance under both low and high input production systems. USDA Cody exhibits tolerance to low soil fertility which allows it to be grown with less fertilizer. USDA Lava has early maturity which benefits delayed plantings. USDA Sunrise is tolerant to drought which allows it to be grown with less water. A prominent seed company is interested in licensing these versatile dry bean cultivars because of their excellent yield potential under less favorable growing conditions.
2. Improved understanding of the genetic control of virus resistance in common bean. Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) reduces yield and quality of common bean in the United States and worldwide. The best strategy to control the disease is to develop new varieties with improved resistance, which unfortunately is controlled by complex interactions between multiple resistance genes. ARS scientists in Prosser, Washington, developed DNA markers for two different resistance genes, bc-2 on chromosome 11 and the newly discovered bc-4 gene on chromosome 5, and determined that both genes need to be present in combination to condition resistance to BCMV. This new knowledge fills gaps about the genetic control of resistance to BCMV, and the new DNA markers are being used to accelerate the development of new bean varieties with improved disease resistance.
3. Genetic resistance to Fusarium avenaceum identified in lentil can benefit identifying the same resistance in pea. Fusarium root rot caused by Fusarium avenaceum is a major root rot pathogen on pea and lentil in North Dakota, Montana, and Canada. ARS researchers at Prosser and Pullman, Washington, evaluated 181 lentil lines from the Lentil Single-Plant-Derived Core Collection for resistance to F. avenaceum. These lines were used to determine eleven quantitative trait loci across four chromosomes associated with the resistance. Two potential genes coding for a nonsymbiotic hemoglobin protein (MEDsa GLB1) and an ethylene response factor were identified as excellent candidate genes conferring resistance to the pathogen. These genes can be targeted for marker-assisted selection to rapidly identify breeding lines with genetic resistance in lentil to the pathogen and can be evaluated in pea to determine if these same genes correlate across closely related species.
Review Publications
Heineck, G.C., Altendorf, K.R., Coyne, C.J., Ma, Y., McGee, R.J., Porter, L.D. 2022. Phenotypic and genetic characterization of the lentil single plant-derived core collection for resistance to root rot caused by Fusarium avenaceum. Phytopathology. 112(9):1979-1987. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-12-21-0517-R.
Wang, M., Van Vleet, S., McGee, R.J., Paulitz, T.C., Porter, L.D., Schroeder, K., Vandemark, G.J., Chen, W. 2021. Chickpea seed rot and damping-off caused by metalaxyl-resistant Pythium ultimum and its management with ethaboxam. Plant Disease. 105(6):1728-1737. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-08-20-1659-RE.
Viscarra-Torrico, R., Pajak, A., Garzon, A., Zhang, B., Pandurangan, S., Diapari, M., Song, Q., Conner, R.L., House, J.D., Miklas, P.N., Hou, A., Marsolais, F. 2021. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with increased cysteine and methionine concentration. Legume Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3.103.
MacQueen, A.H., Khoury, C.K., Miklas, P.N., McClean, P.E., Osorno, J.M., Runck, B.C., White, J.W., Kantar, M.B., Ewing, P.M. 2022. Local to continental-scale variation in fitness and heritability in common bean. Crop Science. 62(2):767-779. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20694.
Keller, B., Ariza-Suarez, D., Portilla-Benavides, A., Buendia, H., Aparicio, J., Amongi, W., Mbiu, J., Nchimbi-Msolla, S., Miklas, P.N., Porch, T.G., Burridge, J., Mukankusi, C., Studer, B., Raatz, B. 2022. Genomic predictions in climbing beans and their genetic associations with bush bean populations. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13. Article 830896. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.830896.