Abstract
Abstract The success of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) crops in Brazil is due to the development of new cultivars. The aim of the present study was to critically analyze the fifty years of a bean breeding program at the Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) and estimate the genetic progress (GP) achieved for grain yield. The estimated genetic progress for grain yield was 0.35% per year, which is associated with visible improvement in plant architecture, resistance to some pathogens, and better carioca bean grain quality. The program was found to be efficient, generating 119 theses and 43 dissertations during the period under study. In addition, hundreds of articles have been published, especially studies aimed at improving the efficiency of genetic breeding programs. Over the past few years, partnerships with other public institutions in performing Value for Cultivation and Use tests have resulted in 12 recommended cultivars.
Highlights
Dry edible bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivation in Brazil has undergone great changes over the past fifty years
Experiments are conducted to evaluate the best lines originating from different recurrent selection (RS) programs, which are known as elite line evaluations
Research in bean genetic improvement at Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) began in 1968 with experiments aimed at evaluating introduced lines
Summary
Dry edible bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivation in Brazil has undergone great changes over the past fifty years. Starting in the 1980s, primarily because of irrigation incentives, bean started to attract the interest of rural entrepreneurs, who started growing it over extensive areas and throughout the year. During those years, bean yield in Brazil grew substantially, increasing from an average of 660 kg ha-1 in 1968 to 1.030 kg ha-1 in 2019 (CONAB 2019). The genetic improvement of bean is performed almost exclusively by a few public institutions. One of these programs has been led by the Universidade Federal de Lavras (Federal University of Lavras – UFLA) since 1968
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