Common bean is an important legume crop having high quality protein, micronutrients, vitamins and antioxidants, which makes it a “grain of hope” for poor communities. Hence, a good number of breeding activities have been performed on the improvement of various key traits for years. However, recent advancements in molecular markers, sequencing technologies and the completion of the common bean genome sequence have opened numerous opportunities for fine mapping and gene characterization. The availability of these tools together with investigations of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and candidate genes for key traits such as morpho-agronomic, iron and zinc contents, cooking and quality traits, antioxidant activity, biotic and abiotic stresses pave the way to the development of new strategies for common bean genetic improvement. As a food source, it can contribute to the reduction of food scarcity worldwide in the coming years. Therefore, it is very important to take synergic efforts to integrate common bean genetic and genomic resources in breeding activities to ensure food security and contribute significantly to improved livelihoods in developing countries. Moreover, Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) and CRISPR-Cas9 should be used to develop climate resilience common bean varieties. Here, we provide an overview of the evolution of common bean research by highlighting the past and recent advances in genomics, transgenics, transcriptomics and proteomics and also critically discuss the future prospects for further genetic improvement and better expansion of this crop.

Plant landraces represent a repository of a gene pool, local adaptation of their domestic species, and thereby are considered a great source of genetic variations. Such genetic variation can be helpful to mitigate the current and future food challenges. A total of 183 common bean accessions including three commercial varieties collected from 19 Turkish provinces were grown to record their morpho-agronomic variations and to evaluate the best performing accessions under multi-environmental conditions. Plant height, days to maturity, pods weight, seed length, and 100-seed weight were used to evaluate the best performing accessions under different environmental conditions. A wide range of variations for traits like days to maturity (99–161), plant height (21–168.7 cm), seed length (7.41–16.4 mm), seeds per plant (17.8–254.4), and 100-seeds weight (24.97–73.8 g) were observed and can be useful for breeding purposes. The analytic results derived from the first three eigenvectors suggested that plant height, plant weight, 100-seed weight, and days to flowering were biologically significant bean traits. Seed yield per plant was positively and significantly correlated with plant weight and pods weight. Genotype × environment biplot discriminated the studied common bean accessions based on their plant height and growth habit. Plant height, days to maturity, seed width, and first pod height were found highly heritable traits and were least affected by environmental forces. Among 19 provinces, accessions of Bilecik showed maximum pods per plant, seed yield per plant and 100-seed weight, while Erzincan and Sivas provinces reflected the prevalence of bushy and early maturing accessions. Information provided herein comprehensively explored the occurrence of genotypic variations which can be used for the development of candidate varieties responding to breeder, farmer, and consumer preferences.

Turkey is lavished with hundreds of common bean landraces. The present study was aimed to investigate the agronomic and mineral variations in 80 common bean landraces collected from 11 different provinces of Turkey. Genotypic variation expressed as a range for some traits like days to maturity (90-141 days), plant height (25.25-361.50 cm), 1000 seeds weight (140-633 g), Iron (66.48-128.05 mg kg-1), and Zinc (20.56-42.01 mg kg-1). Positive and highly significant correlation of Magnesium with Iron and Zinc was observed and analytic results derived from the first 3 eigenvectors suggested that days to pod setting, Zinc, and 1000 seeds weight were main variation contributing traits. Among the provinces, landraces from Tunceli performed well for agronomic traits and Malatya provinces landraces were found enrich for mineral traits. Landraces E-26 and S-19 reflected higher Fe and Zn contents, and higher yield, respectively. Cluster analysis divided the studied germplasm on the basis of plant height and geographic. Information provided herein can be helpful for the development of candidate varieties having higher yield with greater mineral contents.

En tr Verim ve verim öğeleri dünya çapında baklagil ıslah programının temel hedeflerinden birisidir. Kuru fasulye ıslah programında genetik çeşitliliğin etkin kullanımı ve arzu edilen tiplerin seçimi için bu özelliklere ait bilgilere ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Uzun yıllardır yetiştirilen yerel kuru fasulye popülasyonları, düşük girdili yetiştirme koşullarına genetik ve morfolojik özellikleri sayesinde daha dayanıklı ve yetiştiriciler tarafından kalitesi daha kabul edilebilir düzeydedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, Türkiye’nin Batı Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki farklı fasulye yetiştirme alanlarından 83 yerel kuru fasulye popülasyonu 2015-2016 yıllarında toplanmış ve 2016 yılı yetiştirme sezonunda Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi deneme alanında yetiştirilmiştir. Tartılı derecelendirme ve morfolojik karakterizasyon sonuçlarına göre her bir fasulye popülasyonundan tek bitki seçilmiş ve 20 kuru fasulye hattı (8 sarılıcı ve 12 bodur) ümitvar kabul edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada, 12 yerel kuru fasulye hattı ile 2 ticari çeşit verim ve verim öğeleri bakımından Türkiye’nin Batı Karadeniz Bölgesi Bolu ekolojik koşullarında karşılaştırılmıştır. Araştırma, Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi deneme alanında 2017 yılında tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre üç tekrarlamalı olarak yürütülmüştür. Çimlenme oranı (%69.50-96.00), %50 çiçeklenme gün sayısı (48.00-52.00 gün), olgunlaşma süresi (86.00-107.33 gün), bitki boyu (37.20-58.30 cm), ilk bakla yüksekliği (12.50-19.00 cm), bitkide dal sayısı (6.25-8.25 adet), bitkide bakla sayısı (16.96-41.50 bakla), baklada tane sayısı (4.00-6.40 tane), bitki başına tohum verimi (25.41-96.83 g bitki^-1) ve 100 tane ağırlığı (29.82-55.35 g) IPGRI ve EU-CPVO kriterlerine göre belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, verim ve verim öğeleri bakımından ÇNK-2, ÇNK-4, YLV-28, YLV-32 ve BLCK-7 üstün ümitvar hatlar olarak seçilmiş ve bu hatların çeşit tescil için bölge verim denemelerine aktarılmasına karar verilmiştir. Yield and yield components is one of the key objectives of the legume breeding program worldwide. Information on these traits is required for the selection of desirable types and efficient utilization of the genetic diversity in dry bean improvement program. Local landraces of dry beans grown over long time period are more resistant to low input growing conditions its genetic and morphologic properties and quality is more acceptable by the growers. From this perspective, 83 dry bean landraces were collected from different bean growing areas of Western Anatolia Region of Turkey in 2015-2016. The dry bean landraces were grown on the experimental farm of Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu during 2016 growing season. A single plant from each dry bean landrace was selected according to morphological characterization results and weighted scaling method, and twenty (8 climber and 12 bush types) dry bean lines were accepted as promising. In the present study, yield and yield components of 12 dry bean lines and 2 commercial cultivars were compared in Bolu province under western black sea ecological condition of Turkey. The experiment was arranged in a Randomized Block Design with three replicates in 2017 growing season on the experimental farm of Abant Izzet Baysal University. Emergence percentage (69.50-96.00%), days to flowering 50% (48.00-52.00 days), days to maturity (86.00-107.33 days), plant height (37.20-58.30 cm), height to first pod (12.50-19.00 cm), number of branches per plant (6.25-8.25), number of pods per plant (16.96-41.50 pods), seeds per pod (4.00-6.40 seeds), seed yield per plant (25.41-96.83 g plant^-1) and 100 seeds weight (29.82-55.35 g) were determined according to IPGRI and EU-CPVO criteria. As a result, lines ÇNK-2, ÇNK-4, YLV-28, YLV-32 and BLCK-7 had superior with respect to yield and yield components and hence selected advanced promising lines will be transferred to regional yield trials required for the official procedures of cultivar registration.