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Beans (Phaseolus spp.) are one of the most important legumes for their nutritional value and health benefits in many world regions. In addition to Phaseolus vulgaris, there are four additional species that are cultivated in many regions of the world and are a source of food for human consumption: P. lunatus, P. coccineus, P. polyanthus, and P. acutifolius. In this work, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and anti-nutritional compounds of 18 bean accessions, corresponding to four different species of the genus Phaseolus, were analyzed. In addition, their physical characteristics, proximate composition, and amino acid content were determined in order to compare their phytochemical composition and nutritional value. The species closest to each other in terms of essential amino acid content were P. polyanthus with P. vulgaris and P. lunatus with P. coccineus. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between antioxidant activity and flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lectins with all the accessions collected. Significant differences in the content of phenolic compounds were found among the bean species studied. Therefore, in addition to P. vulgaris, other species such as P. coccineus and P. lunatus have high biological and antioxidant potential that could be beneficial to human health when consumed as nutraceutical foods.

Traits related to heat stress in bean species (Phaseolus spp.) have been insufficiently explored to date, yet studies of these traits are needed given that heat stress is predicted to become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world because of climate change. In order to detect agro-morphological and physiological traits related to heat stress and selection for resistance to heat stress, a total of 196 bean genotypes including eight genotypes of tepary bean (P. acutifolius L.), five genotypes of scarlet runner bean (P. coccineus A. Gray), two genotypes of year bean (P. dumosus Macfady), five genotypes of lima bean (P. lunatus L.), and 176 genotypes of common bean (P. vulgaris L.) were evaluated in 2019 and 2020 under moderate (field) and extreme heat stress (greenhouse) conditions. Although most genotypes of P. acutifolius, P. lunatus, and P. coccineus were found to be more resistant to heat stress than most genotypes of common bean, some genotypes of common bean were shown to perform as well as P. acutifolius, P. lunatus, and P. coccineus. Biomass among agronomical traits had the highest significant direct effects on the resistance to heat stress score. The maximum quantum efficiency of PSII and SPAD values among physiological traits showed significant direct effects on the resistance to heat stress score. Biomass, leaflet size, the SPAD value and maximum quantum efficiency of PSII can be considered as heat stress-related traits, and, P. acutifolius, P. lunatus, P. coccineus, and some genotypes of P. vulgaris can be considered for exploitation in a heat stress tolerance breeding program.

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), comba beans (Phaseolus lunatus), and ayocote beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are the most consumed beans worldwide. This work aimed to analyze the nutraceutical potential, antinutritional content, antioxidant activity, and physicochemical characteristics of 38 native bean accessions from South Pacific Mexico. Regarding size, the accessions collected from P. lunatus were the longest (15.31 ± 1.31 mm) and widest (11.04 ± 0.85 mm), while those of P. coccineus were of a greater thickness (6.40 ± 0.85 mm). In addition, it was observed that P. vulgaris species presented a higher percentage of protein and fat content. Moreover, an inverse correlation was found between the content of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in all the collected accessions. The main free amino acid of P. lunatus and P. vulgaris was tryptophan with concentrations of 35.36 ± 0.37 mg/100 g and 47.41 ± 0.53 mg/100 g, respectively. While P. coccineus contained isoleucine as its main free amino acid with a concentration of 29.85 ± 1.06 mg/100 g Furthermore, the collected accessions could be 100% correctly classified as P. vulgaris, P. lunatus, or P. coccineus according to the free amino acid content; this classification could serve as a marker to distinguish between Phaseolus species. In addition, principal component analysis of the phenolic compound content, nutritional composition, antinutritional factors, and antioxidant activity was performed, showing not only that P. vulgaris accessions can present nutraceutical potential but also that some accessions from P. lunatus and P. coccineus species can be promoted for the development of functional foods.

The taxonomic complexity of the genus Phaseolus requires a detailed characterization of traits that highlight species diversity. This study evaluated five wild bean species throughout their life cycle, analyzing 20 qualitative and 18 quantitative morphometric variables as well as phenological traits such as days, along with recording phenological data such as the number of days from germination to seed maturity. The nutritional composition was assessed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify the functional groups of organic compounds in the seed coat and embryo. Significant differences were observed among species, including distinct germination forms that may affect environmental adaptation and flower colors potentially linked to pollinator interactions. Morphological and phenological diversity was documented, along with variation in seed and embryo protein, polysaccharide, and lipid content. Three species were identified as being the most suitable with agronomic potential for crop improvement: P. vulgaris, P. leptostachyus, and P. acutifolius, while P. coccineus and P. leptostachyus stood out for their nutritional profiles and potential contributions to food security. The results underscore the importance of integrating morphological, phenological, and nutritional data to better understand Phaseolus diversity and inform conservation and breeding strategies.

Viruses are an important disease source for beans. In order to evaluate the impact of virus disease on Phaseolus biodiversity, we determined the identity and distribution of viruses infecting wild and domesticated Phaseolus spp. in the Mesoamerican Center of Domestication (MCD) and the western state of Nayarit, Mexico. We used small RNA sequencing and assembly to identify complete or near-complete sequences of forty-seven genomes belonging to nine viral species of five genera, as well as partial sequences of two putative new endornaviruses and five badnavirus- and pararetrovirus-like sequences. The prevalence of viruses in domesticated beans was significantly higher than in wild beans (97% vs. 19%; p < 0.001), and all samples from domesticated beans were positive for at least one virus species. In contrast, no viruses were detected in 80–83% of the samples from wild beans. The Bean common mosaic virus and Bean common mosaic necrosis virus were the most prevalent viruses in wild and domesticated beans. Nevertheless, Cowpea mild mottle virus, transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, has the potential to emerge as an important pathogen because it is both seed-borne and a non-persistently transmitted virus. Our results provide insights into the distribution of viruses in cultivated and wild Phaseolus spp. and will be useful for the identification of emerging viruses and the development of strategies for bean viral disease management in a center of diversity.

The seed yield potential of Phaseolus genotypes varies according their genetic background, environmental conditions, agronomic management, presence of pathogens, and/or their interactions. We evaluated the agronomic performance of 27 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and three tepary bean (P. acutifolius A. Gray) genotypes and their response to ashy stem blight (ASB) caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goidanich. The 30 bean genotypes were planted in Isabela and Lajas, Puerto Rico, during 2019–2020. Tepary bean PI 313488 had the higher mean seed yield values (1,077–1,080 kg ha−1), compared with PI 462025 and PI 477037 (187–605 kg ha−1), in Isabela and Lajas on October 2019. Likewise, 92BG‐7, SB‐DT1, SEN 21, SER 16, SER 22, TARS‐MST1, and XAN 176 common bean genotypes had the highest yield in Isabela (>1,300 kg ha−1) and Lajas (>1,000 kg ha−1) on February 2020. Conversely, 92BG‐7, 'Bella', 'Jaguar', 'Matterhorn', SB‐DT1, SEN 3, SEA, and SER breeding lines, 'Tio Canela 75', 'UI 320', USPT‐WM‐1, VA 19, 'Verano', and XAN 176 had the lowest seed yield (<150 kg ha−1) compared with PI 313488, PI 462025, PI 477037, and TARS‐MST1 (345–511 kg ha−1) in Lajas on May 2019. Moreover, higher ASB incidence (47.6–66.3%) and severity (scores of 5.3–5.8) were observed in Lajas than Isabela (36.6–50.0% and 3.6–4.2, respectively). PI 313488 had lower ASB severity (≤4) in both locations, whereas 'Bill‐Z' and 'Matterhorn' were susceptible (>7) in Lajas. Prolonged periods of high temperatures (27.0–30.6°C) at night during reproductive stages apparently affected the seed yield and increased the ASB incidence/severity in Lajas.

Despite its economic, social, biological, and cultural importance, wild forms of the genus Phaseolus are not well represented in germplasm banks, and they are at great risk due to changes in land use as well as climate change. To improve our understanding of the potential geographical distribution of wild beans (Phaseolus spp.) from Mexico and support in situ and ex situ conservation programs, we determined the climatic adaptation ranges of 29 species and two subspecies of Phaseolus collected throughout Mexico. Based on five biotic and 117 abiotic variables obtained from different databases—WorldClim, Global‐Aridity, and Global‐PET—we performed principal component and cluster analyses. Germplasm was distributed among 12 climatic types from a possible 28. The general climatic ranges were as follows: 8–3,083 m above sea level; 12.07–26.96°C annual mean temperature; 10.33–202.68 mm annual precipitation; 9.33–16.56 W/m2 of net radiation; 11.68–14.23 hr photoperiod; 0.06–1.57 aridity index; and 10–1,728 mm/month of annual potential evapotranspiration. Most descriptive variables (25) clustered species into two groups: One included germplasm from semihot climates, and the other included germplasm from temperate climates. Species clustering showed 45% to 54% coincidence with species previously grouped using molecular data. The species P. filiformis, P. purpusii, and P. maculatus were found at low‐humidity locations; these species could be used to improve our understanding of the extreme aridity adaptation mechanisms used by wild beans to avoid or tolerate climate change as well as to introgress favorable alleles into new cultivars adapted to hot, dry environments. The eco‐geographical analysis of collection sites of germplasm revealed a broad range of dispersion and pattern of distribution in Mexico of wild Phaseolus based on elevation, mean annual temperature, precipitation and photoperiod patterns, confirming its broad climatic variability adaptation. Knowledge of the climatic distribution will allow us to generate maps and establish potential areas of distribution, adaptation, and location of Phaseolus wild germplasm in Mexico, to assist and planning future collection expeditions and perform efficient strategies to acquire, manage, and supporting in situ conservation wild beans genetic resources.

Ashy stem blight (ASB) caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goidanich ( Mp ) is a devastating seed-transmitted disease in common bean in the tropics. The identification of resistant cultivars throughout the cropping season contributes to disease management. Resistance is found in the primary and tertiary gene pools. Our objectives were to determine (1) the reaction of Phaseolus spp. genotypes to two Mp isolates at vegetative and reproductive stages, (2) the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), and (3) resistant plants per genotype at harvest. Twenty-three genotypes from different origins were planted in the greenhouse in 2016 and 2017. One less-aggressive Mp (PRJD16) and one more-aggressive (PRI16) isolate were inoculated one and three times, respectively, by the cut-stem method. ‘Beníquez’, ‘Othello’, and ‘Verano’ were highly susceptible (mean scores >8.0, and AUDPC values from 264.6 to 300.8) to both isolates. BAT 477 and NY6020-4 were intermediate (5.6 and 6.2; AUDPC: 161.6 and 187.1) to PRJD16 and susceptible (7.4 and 8.2; AUDPC: 209.4 and 235.1) to PRI16. Resistant genotypes (mean scores ≤3) were not identified in this study. However, A 195, ‘Badillo’, and ‘PC 50’ possessed lower mean scores (4.3–5.4) and AUDPC values (126.4–150.9) to both isolates. Furthermore, A 195 had the highest percentage of resistant plants (55.6%) followed by PC 50, I9365-31, and PI 321637 (27.8%) to PRJD16 at harvest. Thus, the identification of resistant parents across Phaseolus species is necessary to increase the levels of ASB resistance in common bean cultivars throughout the entire cropping season.

The runner bean is the third most economically important Phaseolus species, which is cultivated on small-scale agriculture for the production of immature pods or to obtain dry seeds. However, despite the economic importance and agronomic potential of this species, the runner bean has been little studied from the genetic standpoint. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize ten selected lines of runner bean obtained from Central (Santiago) and Southern (Valdivia and Villarica) Chile based on morphological and agronomic traits. In addition, the genetic variability of these lines was determined using 12 Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers to evaluate the potential of this germplasm for breeding and commercial purposes. As a result, the lines from Central Chile were characterized, and had a higher number of pods per plant compared to the Southern lines, although the size and weight of their seeds were lower. Moreover, a low level of genetic diversity (He = 0.251) was encountered in this population. Finally, this is one of the first studies that generate relevant and novel information on the morphological, agronomic and genetic characterization of the P. coccineus germplasm present in Chile.

O desenvolvimento de uma metodologia adequada à inoculação de plantas do feijoeiro com Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) De Bary é de grande importância para avaliação de genótipos quanto à resistência ao mofo branco. O objetivo deste trabalho foi testar a eficiência de três métodos de inoculação em diferentes partes da plântula de feijoeiro aos onze dias após a emergência. Uma suspensão de ascósporos, inoculada em plantas em estágio de floração, foi utilizada para validar os métodos testados. Os métodos constituíram da inoculação de folhas ou axilas foliares com discos de BDA contendo micélio do fungo e inoculação das hastes com palito colonizado pelo patógeno. Nove genótipos do gênero Phaseolus spp . e dois isolados de S. sclerotiorum (UnB 1.541 e UnB 1.547) foram utilizados para comparar os métodos. Após a inoculação, as plantas permaneceram em câmara de nevoeiro, com umidade aproximada de 100%, temperatura de 21±2oC e fotoperíodo de 12 horas de luz/ 12 horas de escuro. Permaneceram, então, dois dias para o método de inoculação das folhas com discos de BDA, quatro dias para o método de inoculação das axilas, e dez dias para os métodos de inoculação das hastes com palitos colonizados pelo patógeno e inoculação das flores com ascosporos. Após os períodos determinados para cada método, as avaliações foram realizadas, utilizando-se uma escala de notas variando de 1 a 9 (1= ausência de sintomas e 9= morte da planta). O método de inoculação nas axilas das plântulas, com discos de BDA contendo micélio do fungo, discriminou melhor os genótipos, apresentando resultados similares à inoculação de flores com ascósporos. O isolado UnB 1.541 apresentou maior agressividade e discriminou melhor os genótipos quanto a sua resistência ou suscetibilidade a S. Sclerotiorum . PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Mofo branco; resistência genética; Phaseolus spp ; método de inoculação. The development of a reliable method of inoculation of dry bean ( Phaseolus spp. ) with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is of great importance for evaluation of genotypes for resistance to white mold. The objective of this study was to test three inoculation methods in different parts of 11-day-old Phaseolus spp seedlings. The plant was inoculated with a suspension of ascospores at the blossom stage as a reference for comparing the efficiency of the methods tested, since it simulates field infections. The methods consisted of the inoculation of leaves or axils with disks of PDA containing mycelia; and inoculation of the stems with a toothpick colonized by the pathogen. Nine dry bean genotypes of Phaseolus spp . and two isolates of S. sclerotiorum (UnB 1541 and UnB 1547) were used to test the methods. The inoculated plants were incubated in a fog room, with 100% humidity, a temperature of 21±2oC and a photoperiod of 12 hours. The incubating period varied from two days for the PDA disk leaf inoculation, four days for the axil inoculation and ten days for stems inoculation with toothpicks colonized by the pathogen and flowers inoculation with ascospores. Disease assessment was accomplished by using a key ranging from 1 to 9 (1= no symptoms; 9= plant dead). Inoculation of seedlings in the axils using PDA disks containing mycelia was the best method to differentiate the genotypes, it also presented similar results to the inoculation of flowers with ascospores. The isolate UnB 1541 was more virulent than UnB 1547, and discriminated better the genotypes for resistance or susceptibility to S. sclerotiorum. KEY-WORDS: White mold; genetic resistance; Phaseolus spp ; inoculation method.