Assessment of Quantitative Traits of Rajma Bean (Phaseoulus vulgaris L.) Accessions for Yield and Yield Attributing Traits in Multi-Environments of Nepal

Abstract

Rajma (Phaseolus vulgaris L) known as the common bean, French bean, kidney bean, bush bean, and pole bean is the most important grain legume of Nepal which covers about 10,529 ha areas along with the productivity of 1477kgha-1. Generally it is grown during summer in mid/high hills and during winter (post rainy) season interai/inner terai in rice and maize based eco-system. Now Rajma bean is being popular as the cash crop in the province 3, 5 and 6 because of producing organic products and tastier quality. Multi-environment trials was carried out at Nepalgunj, Parwanipur, Itahari and Surkhet during the winter season of 2014-2017 comprised of 10 diverse Rajma genotypes in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications in order to evaluate the quantitative variation with respect to yield and yield contributing traits. The combined analysis of variance showed that the highly significant differences among the genotypes and locations in the traits like days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, hundred seed weight and grain yield. However; there was not any GxE interaction effect found in days to flowering, days to maturity and grain yield. Mean yield performances showed that the genotype PDR-14 (2341kgha-1) produced the highest yield followed by Utkarsh (2332kgha-1) and Arun-2 (2021kgha-1). In conclusion, PDR-14 gave 9-56% higher yield among the genotypes and its stability analysis test also indicated that PDR-14 was found a highly stable across the environments and over the years. Variegated red kidney shape seed, white flowers along with dwarf and glabrous leaf pubescence is the DUS trait of the PDR-14 and recommended for terai/inner terai to high hills.