Abstract:
Pod quality and yield traits in snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) influence
consumer preferences, crop adoption by farmers, and the ability of the
product to be commercially competitive locally and globally. The objective of
the study was to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for pod quality and yield
traits in a snap × dry bean recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. A total of 184
F6 RILs derived from a cross between Vanilla (snap bean) and MCM5001 (dry
bean) were grown in three field sites in Kenya and one greenhouse environment
in Davis, CA, USA. They were genotyped at 5,951 single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs), and composite interval mapping was conducted to
identify QTL for 16 pod quality and yield traits, including pod wall fiber, pod
string, pod size, and harvest metrics. A combined total of 44 QTL were identified
in field and greenhouse trials. The QTL for pod quality were identified on
chromosomes Pv01, Pv02, Pv03, Pv04, Pv06, and Pv07, and for pod yield were
identified on Pv08. Co-localization of QTL was observed for pod quality and yield
traits. Some identified QTL overlapped with previously mapped QTL for pod
quality and yield traits, with several others identified as novel. The identified QTL
can be used in future marker-assisted selection in snap bean.
