Adaptation and Disease Resistance of Elite Tropical Black Bean Lines

Abstract

Background: Chiapas and Veracruz are the main producing states in the lowlands of southeastern Mexico, with a total harvested volume of 90,146 t of grain in 2020, in a joint planting area of 151,037 ha. However, the cultivation of this legume is subject to a series of biological, climatic and edaphic problems, which make the average yields notoriously low. The objective of this study was to identify high-yielding black bean lines, resistant to diseases and with better adaptation than three commercial cultivars currently used in both entities. Methods: During 2019 and 2020, in seven environments of Veracruz and Chiapas, 11 lines and the cultivars Negro Jamapa, Negro Medellín and Verdín were evaluated. An analysis of variance of the variables was performed by each environment and combined analysis of the incidence of BGYMV and grain yield. Result: Jamapa Plus/XRAV-187-3-4-4 was the most productive line, with an average yield of 1,542 kg ha-1, statistically similar to that of Jamapa Plus/XRAV-187-3-1-2 and higher than that of the rest of the genotypes. Both lines showed resistance to web blight and rust and low incidence of BGYMV, diseases that significantly reduced grain yield. Jamapa Plus/XRAV-187-3-1-2 showed stability throughout the evaluation environments.