Common bean germplasm: trait evaluation and multivariate analyses

• Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
• University of Queensland, Australia
• Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Australia

The agricultural problem underlying this research is under-exploitation of large germplasm collections by plant breeders. Access to processed data on both CIAT germplasm and breeding lines is required for plant breeders world wide to interrogate CIAT databases for genetic resources to fit specific needs. Transfer of database software to Australia and CAAS Beijing China will give Australian and Chinese breeders direct access to information on genetic resources. The project will move towards linking the entire common bean germplasm database to internet so that it can be accessed from anywhere on the network. The project will also provide a model for the work envisaged in a separate ACIAR proposal on adzuki bean germplasm evaluation in China and Australia.

In the first year of the project, a nursery of 134 lines especially selected for utility to chinese partners was shipped from CIAT and evaluated in China. Sixteen lines presented low levels of virus infection to unidentified local strains. Two Chinese scientists were trained in CIAT-Colombia, one in entomology and one in pathology. Work was initiated in CIAT on adaptation of a pedigree and data management system, ICIS, to bean databases. This will both satisfy the immediate objectives of this project and permit access to broader applications of ICIS in the future. A PhD candidate in Australia initiated descriptive analysis of the data on the bean core collection. Molecular analysis of the core collection advanced in CIAT.