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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #94862
Title: EVALUATION OF RUST RESISTANT HALF RUNNER BEAN BREEDING LINES

Author
item MULLINS, C - UNIV OF TN, PLATEAU EXPER
item STRAW, R - UNIV OF TN, PLATEAU EXPER
item Stavely, J

Submitted to: Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The bean rust disease is a major production problem for the presently available cultivars of the highly rust susceptible, but excellent tasting, half runner class of edible podded green beans causing serious losses in production and to farmers and home gardeners resulting in market instability and consumer price increases. A few fungicides control bean rust, but more economically and environmentally favorable rust resistant half runner green bean lines resistant to all 89 races of the rust fungus have been developed, undergone field selection for desirable yield, pod, and plant characteristics, and released in 1995 or are candidates for future release for development and sale of resistant cultivars. Due to the importance of taste and flavor for this bean class, from 1995 through 1997 taste panels have evaluated the most otherwise desirable of these lines. The released line BelTenn-RR-2 and a couple of the unreleased lines have ranked highest in these taste evaluations and have good yields so are suggested as the best candidates for cultivar naming and commercial seed sales and crop production. Rust resistance in beans will improve production efficiency, market stability, food supply dependability, and reduction in fungicide use.

Technical Abstract: White half runner green bean germplasm resistant to all 89 available races of the bean rust fungal pathogen has been under development at beltsville, Maryland for ten years. Following field evaluation of many resistant lines for yield, pod, and plant characteristics at Crossville, Tennessee, three lines were released in 1995, BelTenn Rust Resistant -1, -2, and -3. since then several more lines have been selected for potential release. All of these lines contain the I gene for bean common mosaic virus resistance. Desirable taste/flavor is a major favorable characteristic of this bean class. The taste of cooked pods of the major rust susceptible, half runner cultivars and the best lines selected for potential release was assessed by taste panels in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Released line BelTenn-RR-2 was rated best for desired taste and yielded well at Greenville, Tennessee. None of the unreleased lines rated better for taste, but lines 4-12053 and 4-12028 performed well for taste and/or yield.