In terms of safe food and a healthy food supply, beans (Phaseolus spp.) are a significant source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals especially for poor populations throughout the world. They are also rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic and oleic acids. From the past to the present, a large number of breeding studies to increase bean yield, especially the common bean (P. vulgaris L.), have resulted in the registration of many modern varieties, although quality and flavor traits in the modern varieties have been mostly ignored. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to compare protein, fat, fatty acid, and some mineral content such as selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) of landraces to modern varieties. The landrace LR05 had higher mineral contents, particularly Se and Zn, and protein than the modern varieties. The landrace LR11 had the highest linoleic acid. The landraces are grown by farmers in small holdings for dual uses, such as both dry seed and snap bean production, and are commercialized with a higher cash price. The landraces of the common bean are, not only treasures that need to be guarded for the future, but also important genetic resources that can be used in bean breeding programs. The results of this study suggest that landraces are essential sources of important nutritional components for food security and a healthy food supply.

Genetic resources of the genus Cicer L. are not only limited when compared to other important food legumes and major cereal crops but also, they include several endemic species with endangered status based on the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The chief threats to endemic and endangered Cicer species are over-grazing and habitat change in their natural environments driven by climate changes. During a collection mission in east and south-east Anatolia (Turkey), a new Cicer species was discovered, proposed here as C. turcicum Toker, Berger & Gokturk. Here, we describe the morphological characteristics, images, and ecology of the species, and present preliminary evidence of its potential utility for chickpea improvement. C. turcicum is an annual species, endemic to southeast Anatolia and to date has only been located in a single population distant from any other known annual Cicer species. It belongs to section Cicer M. Pop. of the subgenus Pseudononis M. Pop. of the genus Cicer L. (Fabaceae) and on the basis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence similarity appears to be a sister species of C. reticulatum Ladiz. and C. echinospermum P.H. Davis, both of which are inter-fertile with domestic chickpea (C. arietinum L.). With the addition of C. turcicum, the genus Cicer now comprises 10 annual and 36 perennial species. As a preliminary evaluation of its potential for chickpea improvement two accessions of C. turcicum were field screened for reproductive heat tolerance and seeds were tested for bruchid resistance alongside a representative group of wild and domestic annual Cicer species. C. turcicum expressed the highest heat tolerance and similar bruchid resistance as C. judaicum Boiss. and C. pinnatifidum Juab. & Spach, neither of which are in the primary genepool of domestic chickpea. Given that C. arietinum and C. reticulatum returned the lowest and the second lowest tolerance and resistance scores, C. turcicum may hold much potential for chickpea improvement if its close relatedness supports interspecific hybridization with the cultigen. Crossing experiments are currently underway to explore this question.

The concept of ‘crop ideotype’ is coined as a desirable plant model expected to better perform for seed yield, oils and other useful characteristics when developed as a cultivar, and it consists of two major approaches, namely, (i) ‘defect elimination’, that is, integration of disease resistance to a susceptible genotype from a resistant genotype and (ii) ‘selection for yield’ by improving yield after crosses between desirable parents. For consideration of these approaches, here we introduced an ideotype in kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) which is high-yielding, extra-large-seeded, and double- or multi-podded, has high plant height and imparipinnate-leafed traits, and is heat tolerant and resistant to ascochyta blight [Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr.], which causes considerable yield losses, via marker-assisted selection. F₃ and F₄ lines were evaluated for agro-morphological traits divided into six classes, namely, (i) imparipinnate-leafed and single-podded progeny, (ii) imparipinnate-leafed and double-podded progeny, (iii) imparipinnate-leafed and multi-podded progeny, (iv) unifoliolate-leafed and single-podded progeny, (v) unifoliolate-leafed and double-podded progeny, (vi) unifoliolate-leafed and multi-podded progeny. F_3:4 lines having 100-seed weight ≥ 45 g and double- or multi-podded traits were additionally assessed for resistance to ascochyta blight using molecular markers including SCY17₅₉₀ and CaETR-1. Superior lines having higher values than their best parents were determined for all studied traits indicating that economic and important traits including yield and seed size in chickpea could be improved by crossing suitable parents. Imparipinnate-leafed and multi-podded plants had not only the highest number of pods and seeds per plant but also the highest yield. On the other hand, imparipinnate-leafed and single podded progeny had the largest seed size, followed by imparipinnate-leafed and double-podded progeny. Multi-podded plants produced 23% more seed yield than that of single-podded plants, while multi-podded plants attained 7.6% more seed yield than that of double-podded plants. SCY17₅₉₀ and CaETR-1 markers located on LG4 related to QTL_AR2 and QTL_AR1 were found in 14 lines among 152 F_3:4 lines. Six superior lines were selected for being double- or multi-podded, imparipinnate-leafed, suitable for combine harvest, heat-tolerant, and resistant to ascochyta blight, and having both of two resistance markers and extra-large seeds as high as 50–60 g per 100-seed weight. Resistance alleles from two different backgrounds for resistance to ascochyta blight were integrated with double- or multi-podded kabuli chickpea lines having high yield, extra-large seeds, high plant height, imparipinnate-leaves and high heat tolerance, playing a crucial role for future demands of population and food security. These approaches seem to be applicable in ideotype breeding for other important crop plants.

The chickpea leafminer, Liriomyza cicerina (Rondani), is one of the most destructive insect pests of cultivated chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in the Mediterranean region under field conditions. For sustainable and environmentally friendly chickpea production, efforts have been devoted to managing the leafminer via decreasing the use of insecticides. Breeding of new resistant varieties is not only an efficient and practical approach, but also cost-effective and environmentally sensitive. To improve resistant varieties, breeders need reliable biochemical selection criteria that can be used in breeding programs. The first objective was to investigate the possible introgression of resistance to the leafminer from C. reticulatum Ladiz. (resistant) to C. arietinum (susceptible), then, to estimate inheritance of resistance to the leafminer for efficient breeding strategies, and finally, to study organic acid contents as selection criteria. Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and their parents were evaluated using a visual scale of 1–9 (1 = free from leafminer damage and 9 = mines in more than 91% of the leaflets and defoliation greater than 31%) in the field under natural infestation conditions after the susceptible parent and check had scores of >7 on the visual scale. Superior RILs were found for resistance to the leafminer, and agro-morphological traits indicating that introgression of resistance to leaf miner from C. reticulatum to C. arietinum could be possible using interspecific crosses. The inheritance pattern of resistance to the leafminer in RILs was shown to be quantitative. Organic acids, including oxalic, malic, quinic, tartaric, citric and succinic acids in RILs grown in the field under insect epidemic conditions and in the greenhouse under non-infested conditions were detected by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In general, organic acids were found to be higher in resistant RILs than susceptible RILs. Path and correlation coefficients showed that succinic acid exhibited the highest direct effects on resistance to the leafminer. Multivariate analyses, including path, correlation and factor analyses suggested that a high level of succinic acid could be used as a potential biochemical selection criterion for resistance to leafminer in chickpea. Resistant RILs with a high seed yield resembling kabuli chickpea can be grown directly in the target environments under leaf miner infestation conditions.

Traits related to heat stress in bean species (Phaseolus spp.) have been insufficiently explored to date, yet studies of these traits are needed given that heat stress is predicted to become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world because of climate change. In order to detect agro-morphological and physiological traits related to heat stress and selection for resistance to heat stress, a total of 196 bean genotypes including eight genotypes of tepary bean (P. acutifolius L.), five genotypes of scarlet runner bean (P. coccineus A. Gray), two genotypes of year bean (P. dumosus Macfady), five genotypes of lima bean (P. lunatus L.), and 176 genotypes of common bean (P. vulgaris L.) were evaluated in 2019 and 2020 under moderate (field) and extreme heat stress (greenhouse) conditions. Although most genotypes of P. acutifolius, P. lunatus, and P. coccineus were found to be more resistant to heat stress than most genotypes of common bean, some genotypes of common bean were shown to perform as well as P. acutifolius, P. lunatus, and P. coccineus. Biomass among agronomical traits had the highest significant direct effects on the resistance to heat stress score. The maximum quantum efficiency of PSII and SPAD values among physiological traits showed significant direct effects on the resistance to heat stress score. Biomass, leaflet size, the SPAD value and maximum quantum efficiency of PSII can be considered as heat stress-related traits, and, P. acutifolius, P. lunatus, P. coccineus, and some genotypes of P. vulgaris can be considered for exploitation in a heat stress tolerance breeding program.