Marker-assisted breeding for multiple disease resistance in market-class French beans in Kenya, University of Embu
University of Embu, Embu, Kenya
The Embu University team. Left to right: Mr Brian Wafula, Dr Esther Arunga, Ms Serah Njau, Ms Nancy Munubi and Ms Grace Wambui Watare.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Background
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French bean (or green bean) is one of the most valuable export commodities produced in Kenya; the crop is sold both as fresh produce or in canned form. Its cultivation represents a major source of income for small-holder farmers. Several pathogens compromise the crop’s productivity: the viruses bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV); and the fungi Pseudocercospora griseola (responsible for angular leaf spot; ALS), Uromyces appendiculatus (rust) and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (anthracnose; ANT). Chemical control of these diseases is not economically viable for small-scale farmers, while it also presents a hazard to both human health and the environment.
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French beans growing in the Embu greenhouse.
Objectives
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To combine resistances to BCMV and BCMNV into advanced breeding lines through marker-assisted selection.
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To conduct yield trials of French bean lines with multiple disease resistances.
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To characterise the bean rust resistance genes in the MU#13 French bean breeding line.
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To identify molecular markers linked to rust resistance genes in MU#13 French bean breeding line.
Progress to date
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Sixteen advanced breeding lines were derived from a cross combining four bean varieties: Amy (the "recipient" variety to be improved), MU#13 (a rust resistant French bean variety), G2333 (a dry bean variety resistant to anthracnose) and Mex 54 (also a dry bean variety, resistant to angular leaf spot). These lines were tested over two seasons (13 lines in 2021 and 16 lines in 2022) alongside the four parents and commercial checks (Serengeti, Source, Seagull, Tausi and Vanilla in 2021, and Source and Seagull in 2022) in two field sites (Embu and Kutus) to establish their agronomic performance.
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The lines tested showed significant differences (P < 0.05) for % marketable pods in the two sites and for pod weight in Kutus. The commercial cultivars generally outperformed the breeding lines in pod length and % marketable pods. One breeding line yielded better that the best commercial check (Serengeti). However, Serengeti was susceptible to ALS whereas most of the breeding lines were resistant. All the genotypes that were tested were susceptible to BCMNV.
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The breeding program successfully developed lines with multiple disease resistance with the French bean plant stature. However, most breeding lines have slightly poor pod quality and yield as compared with the commercial cultivars. UoEm#6 (a French bean breeding line developed by the programme) was used as the donor for anthracnose, rust and angular leaf spot resistances to improve three market class cultivars: Vanilla, Serengeti and Source. UoEm#6 (a French bean breeding line developed by the programme) was used as the donor for anthracnose, rust and angular leaf spot resistances to improve three market class cultivars: Vanilla, Serengeti and Source. The backcrossing programme is ongoing. A breeding line resistant to rust, anthracnose and angular leaf spot was crossed to a breeding line resistant to bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV). The F1s were crossed to Vanilla and Serengeti. These backcrossing programmes are ongoing.
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G2333 Mex 54
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Some of the French beans selected for improvement (i); dry bean donor varieties for disease resistance (G2333 for anthracnose and Mex 54 for angular leaf spot; ii); the Embu team doing field evaluations (iii); advanced French bean breeding lines (iv); 2022 field trials of advanced breeding lines (v); French bean data collection of pod traits (vi and vii).
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
Dr Esther Arunga
Principal Investigator, University of Embu.
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Senior Lecturer at the Agricultural Resource Management, Dr Arunga, has led the KT French bean breeding project at Embu University College, Kenya, since 2013. A Kirkhouse Trust MSc and PhD scholar, she completed her doctoral degree in 2012. The title of her thesis was ‘French bean breeding for rust resistance in Kenya: pathogen diversity and host resistance’.
Ms Grace Wambui Watare
Laboratory technician
Ms Serah Njau
PhD student
Ms Nancy Munubi
MSc student
STUDENT PROJECTS
Combining ability and genetic mapping of pod quality and yield traits in locally adapted French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Kenya
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Ms Serah Njau
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PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Embu, 2018-2022.
Supervisors: Dr Esther Arunga, University of Embu, Professor Paul Gepts, University of California, Davis, USA, Dr Reuben Otsyula, Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
Project objectives
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To document variation for the pod quality attributes pod wall fibre and suture string among a set of French bean varieties grown in Kenya.
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To quantify both the general and the specific combining ability with respect to a range of agronomic traits in French bean.
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To understand the genetic basis of variation in pod quality and yield.
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To develop molecular markers linked to genes responsible for variation in pod quality and yield.
Ms Njau during her study visit at Professor Paul Gepts' lab at UC, Davis, spring 2022.
Progress to date
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A panel of French bean varieties has been characterised with respect to the key producer traits: time to flowering; pod length; percentage of extra fine pods and pod shape.
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A full diallele analysis has been conducted involving five French bean varieties (Serengeti, Vanilla, Amy, Seagull and Moonstone) and two dry bean varieties (G2333 and MCM5001). The resulting 49 lines are being subjected to both phenotypic and genotypic characterisation.There was a significant effect (P <0.001) of genotypes for all morpho-agronomic traits evaluated, and also a significant effect for environment for the traits apart from pod suture and plant height. Vanilla and Moonstone performed better than the other French beans in regards to pods per plant, pod weight per plant and pod length.
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A set of three mapping populations has been developed, bred from the crosses Serengeti x Mexico 54, Amy × G2333, and Vanilla × MCM5001. Each population has been generated via single seed descent resulting in sets of F2-derived F5 recombinant inbred lines.
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​There are PvIND sequence differences between the stringy and non-stringy accessions of common bean. Stringy accessions have a single copy of PvIND sequence while non-stringy accessions have tandem duplication of PvIND, with a retrotransposon inserted at the beginning of the duplicated region. These sequence features may cause the PvIND overexpression associated with loss of pod strings.
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Green beans at the podding stage (i); Ms Njau during evaluation of pod wall fiber of French bean (ii); Royal Sluis ruler for measuring pod length and pod diameter for French bean (iii); Ms Njau in the screenhouse (iv).
Pyramiding of genes to confer multiple disease resistance into market class French bean varieties in Kenya
Ms Nancy Munubi
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MSc in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, University of Embu.
Supervisors: Dr Esther Arunga and Dr Felix Rotich, University of Embu.
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Project objectives
1.To develop French bean breeding lines that combine resistance to multiple diseases through the stacking of disease resistance genes.
2.To evaluate the yield traits of French bean lines with pyramided genes for disease resistance.
3.To characterise the anthracnose resistance genes in the MU#13 French bean breeding line.
Ms Nancy Munubi
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Progress to date
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Coursework completed.
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An F1 population with multiple disease resistance has been developed. This will be followed by three backcrosses to the recurrent parents to improve pod quality.
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Development of the F1 population (i); successful crosses (ii and iii).
PUBLICATIONS
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Wafula, B.W., Arunga, E.E., & Rotich, F. 2023. Prevalence and Host Resistance to Common Bean Rust Disease in Western and Central Kenya. International Journal of Agronomy. Doi https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6064130.
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Watare, G.W., Gichimu, B.M. & Arunga, E.E. 2023. Host Plant Resistance to Bean Common Mosaic Necrosis Virus among Snap Bean Cultivars in Kenya. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 63: 2.
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Parker, T.A., Cetz, J., de Sousa, L.L., Kuzay, S., Lo, S., de Oliveira Floriani, T., Njau, S., Arunga, E., Duitama, J., Jernstedt, J. and Myers, J.R., 2022. Loss of pod strings in common bean is associated with gene duplication, retrotransposon insertion, and overexpression of PvIND. New Phytologist 235: 2454-2465.
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Kamiri, A.K., Arunga, E.E., Rotich, F. and Otsyula, R., 2021. Response of French bean genotypes to Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and evaluation of their resistance using SCAR markers. African Journal of Biotechnology 20: 51-65.
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Arunga, E.E. and Odikara, O.S., 2020. Characterization of Kenyan French Bean genotypes into gene pool affiliations using allele specific markers. African Journal of Biotechnology 19: 653-660.
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Kimno, S.K., Kiplagat, O.K., Arunga, E.E. and Chepkoech, E., 2016. Evaluation of selected French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes for resistance to angular leaf spot (Pseudocercospora griseola) in Western Kenya. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International 13: 1-6.
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Arunga, E.E., Ochuodho, J.O., Kinyua, M.G., Owuoche, J.O. and Chepkoech, E. 2015. Genetic diversity of determinate French beans grown in Kenya based on morpho-agronomic and simple sequence repeat variation. Journal of Plant Breeding and Crop Science. 7 :240-250.
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Arunga, E.E., Ochuodho, J.O., Kinyua, M.G. and Owuoche, J.O., 2012. Characterization of Uromyces appendiculatus isolates collected from snap bean growing areas in Kenya. African Journal of Agricultural Research 7: 5685-5691.
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Arunga E.E., Ochuodho J.O., Kinyua M.G., Owuoche J.O. 2012. Characterization of Uromyces appendiculatus isolates collected from snap bean growing areas in Kenya. African Journal of Agricultural Research 7: 5685-5691 doi: 10.5897/AJAR12.1826.
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Arunga, E.E., Van Rheenen, H.A. and Owuoche, J.O., 2010. Diallel analysis of Snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties for important traits. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 5: 1951-1957.
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Participants to the 2017 Annual African Bean Consortium (ABC) Meeting visit Dr Arunga's (far left) greenhouse at the University of Embu.
PROJECT LOCATIONS
Location of the University of Embu's field trial sites.