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Researchers
Continue to Improve Red Bean QualityBy Don Comis January 30, 2002An
Agricultural Research Service and
Michigan State University breeding team
is seeing red lately--when it comes to beans. Each year, the team releases two
to four new dry bean varieties. Recently, the scientists have released small
red bean types that, until now, have received little attention. Geneticist and breeder George L. Hosfield at the ARS Sugarbeet and Bean
Research Unit's Quality Laboratory in East Lansing, Mich., and colleagues at
the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station have developed a unique pool of
new red bean lines. The lines contain genes for improved erectness, disease
resistance, seed appearance and canning quality. From this breeding material came LeBaron Red, a variety far ahead of
traditional ones for uprightness and seed appearance. The new lines are so good
that, from now on, breeders will use only them for breeding red beans. And
recently, the team released even better germplasm in three more breeding lines
of red beans. For the last quarter century, Hosfield has been the only scientist in the
country working on bean quality--upgrading the color, canning quality and other
characteristics of dry beans as well as their nutritional value. A few years
ago, he decided to make red beans his priority. Smaller than kidney beans and shaped more like pintos, 90 percent of red
beans come from Washington and Idaho. They are typically used in chili products
and mixes. Like LeBaron, the new lines all have resistance to bean common mosaic virus,
a major bean disease. One of the lines also has resistance to several strains
of bean rust, a major fungal disease. The new lines have improved yield. The germplasm will be deposited in the ARS
National Plant Germplasm Systemwhere it will be available free to researchers and breeders for development and
commercialization of other red bean varieties that will take their places
alongside the pioneering LeBaron. ARS is USDAs chief scientific
research agency. U.S. Department of Agriculture |