Abstract
Common beans are an important nutritious food crop to many people in developing countries. Inadequate soil-P is one of the major constraints to high bean seed yield productivity. Information about genetic effects that control inheritance of root traits in common bean grown under low soil-P conditions is scarce, and that is a challenge for genetic enhancement. This study was therefore implemented to determine inheritance and gene action of root traits in common bean for tolerance to low soil-P. The six generations were evaluated in a completely randomised design with two replicates under low soil-P in a pot experiment. Generation mean analysis revealed that both allelic and non-allelic genetic interactions controlled inheritance of root traits studied. Cumulative main gene effect was higher than epistasis effects. Additive genetic effects were more predominant than dominance effects. Additive and additive × dominance epistatic gene effects were more important in controlling inheritance of root traits under low soil-P. Broad-sense heritability for hypocotyl root number was the highest (93.98 %) while the narrow-sense heritability was moderate (51.13 %). To develop improved genotypes tolerant to low soil-P, recombination crossing should be followed by screening and selection in later generations for high seed yield, root and other preferred traits. Key words: Common bean, inheritance, genotype, gene effect, heritability, low soil-P.
Highlights
Common beans are a source of carbohydrates, essential amino acids and vitamins in diets to most of the people in developing countries (Myers and Kmiecik, 2017; Wortman et al, 1998)
F1 generation had values equal or higher than the better parent for hypocotyl root number and basal root whorl number, basal root number, primary root length and tap root diameter except for hypocotyl root length which was less than the lower parent (P2)
F2 performed slightly higher than the better parent for all the variables and was not significantly different from the better parent for hypocotyl root length, basal root whorl number, basal root number, basal root growth angle and basal root length
Summary
Common beans are a source of carbohydrates, essential amino acids and vitamins in diets to most of the people in developing countries (Myers and Kmiecik, 2017; Wortman et al, 1998). The grain is used as an ingredient in livestock feed formulations. Common bean world annual production is estimated at 23.14 million tonnes, and it is food to about 300 million people in the tropics and 100 million people in Africa (FAO, 2013). In Africa alone, the area under common bean cultivation increased from 703.7 to 763.3 million hectares from 2011.
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