‘Croscat’ Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), a Prototypical Cultivar within the ‘Tavella Brisa’ Type

Abstract

The cultivar Croscat is a common bean inbred line developed by the Fundacio Miquel Agusti from the ‘Tavella Brisa’ landrace. This landrace is adapted to the climate (Mediterranean with Atlantic components) and soil (volcanic soil with high levels of potassium, very good water retention, and high cationic exchange capacity) of the Volcanic Region of Santa Pau in Garrotxa County in northeast Spain. Seeds are sown at the end of May or beginning of June, depending on the rains because the beans are cultivated without irrigation. Depending on the weather in the fall and the time when the seeds are sown, beans are harvested between the beginning of September and the end of October. In the last 30 years, the ‘Tavella Brisa’ germplasm has suffered numerous introgressions (Sanchez et al., 2007) that have modified the populations and affected its sensory value. On the other hand, this landrace, which now includes growth Types I and II (Singh, 1982), was formerly grown together with maize and suffers from lodging, thus making mechanized harvesting difficult when it is cultivated without support. ‘Tavella Brisa Croscat’ was developed through selection with the aim of preserving the sensory traits of the landrace (low seed-coat perceptibility, medium–low mealiness, mild and pleasant taste, purple pod) and its tolerance to drought and heat stress while improving the architecture of the plant (more upright) to facilitate mechanized harvesting. The new cultivar is also a good starting point for introducing resistances to diseases and pests. Furthermore, the development of a homogeneous inbred line that has the main differential traits of the landrace helps support the application for the European label Protected Denomination of Origin (European Commission, 2006a; 2006b) that the area’s farmers have submitted.