Assessment of the Origin and Diversity of Croatian Common Bean Germplasm Using Phaseolin Type, SSR and SNP Markers and Morphological Traits

Abstract

Landraces represent valuable genetic resources for breeding programmes to produce high-yielding varieties adapted to stressful environmental conditions. Although the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an economically important food legume for direct human consumption worldwide, common bean production in Croatia is based almost exclusively on landraces and there is no common bean breeding program. Information on phaseolin type and results of population structure and genetic diversity obtained by analysis of SSR and SNP markers, in combination with the morphological characterization of 174 accessions of 10 common bean landraces (morphotypes), enabled thorough classification of accessions. The accessions were classified into phaseolin type H1 (“S”) of Mesoamerican origin and phaseolin types H2 (“H” or “C”) and H3 (“T”) of Andean origin. By applying distance- and model-based clustering methods to SSR markers, the accessions were classified into two clusters at K = 2 separating the accessions according to the centres of origin, while at K = 3, the accessions of Andean origin were further classified into two clusters of accessions that differed in phaseolin type (H2 and H3). Using SNP markers, model-based analysis of population structure was performed, the results of which were consistent with those of SSR markers. In addition, 122 accessions were assigned to 14 newly formed true-type morphogenetic groups derived from three different domestication events: (1) Mesoamerican (H1A) (“Biser”, “Kukuruzar”, “Tetovac”, “Trešnjevac”), (2) Andean—indeterminate type (H2B1) (“Dan noć”, “Sivi”, “Puter”, ”Sivi prošarani”, “Trešnjevac”) and (3) Andean—determinate type (H3B2) (“Bijeli”, “Dan noć”, “Puter”, “Trešnjevac”, “Zelenčec”). The rest of the accessions could represent putative hybrids between morphogenetic groups. The differences between the true-type groups of accessions were further analysed based on nine quantitative traits, and the subsets of traits that best distinguish among centres of origin (A: Mesoamerican, B: Andean) and genetic groups (H1A, H2B1, H3B2) were proposed.

Genetic diversity and population structure of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from China revealed by microsatellite markers

“…Phaseolin is an important and informative biochemical marker for studying the genetic diversity in bean germplasms (Vidak et al., 2021). Here, only eight phaseolin patterns were detected using SDS‐PAGE gel electrophoresis (Table 7), which was significantly less than the 18 phaseolin patterns present in the diversity center of the common bean.…”

A Multi-Level Approach as a Powerful Tool to Identify and Characterize Some Italian Autochthonous Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Landraces under a Changing Environment

“…This result supports the proven predominance of the Andean genotypes over the Mesoamerican examples in the Mediterranean Basin. Furthermore, a prevalence of C-type over T-type phaseolin has been reported in Italian and European common bean landraces [ 48 , 49 ], while the H-type phaseolin has proven to be more unusual among the common bean populations in Europe [ 22 ]. Moreover, it has been found that cultivars belonging to the Mesoamerican gene pool show small or medium-sized seeds (<25 g or 25–40 g/100-seed weight), while their Andean counterparts have larger seeds (>40 g/100-seed weight) [ 22 ].…”

Factors Influencing the Emergence of Heterogeneous Populations of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Their Potential for Intercropping

“…They can also show resilience by tolerating a spectrum of biotic and abiotic stress factors, demonstrating their adaptability and robustness under different environmental conditions. Although these populations are under the influence of human selection and environmental stresses, they have existed for a long time, and heterogeneity within these populations appears to be an important adaptive trait ( Figure 1 ) [ 36 , 49 , 50 ]. Landraces are also not formally improved and are adapted to the specific habitat in which they are grown.…”

“…Landraces are also not formally improved and are adapted to the specific habitat in which they are grown. They are grown and maintained by local farmers, so there are even different varieties with similar traits but different names in each location [ 7 , 25 , 34 , 36 , 50 ]. They are often cultivated and maintained by older farmers, with little or no support from state or local institutions.…”