History of the common bean crop: its evolution beyond its areas of origin and domestication

Abstract

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important grain legume for direct human consumption on a global scale. Current bean germplasm collections show a wide variation of phenotypes, although genetic erosion is gradually affecting this species as in many countries local traditional varieties are being replaced by elite cultivars. This crop has spread to every continent over the past few centuries, which has resulted in a complex genetic structure of bean germplasm outside its areas of origin and domestication (South and Central America). Some evidence indicates that this germplasm is more complex than previously thought and contains additional, as yet unexplored, diversity. This is especially the case in southern Europe, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, where it was introduced in the early sixteenth century and has been documented as a secondary focus of domestication of the species. The integration of omic data into bean germplasm documentation databases and its combination with genotypic, phenotypic and agro-ecological data is opening a new era for the enhancement and efficient use of common bean genetic resources as the main grain legume in Europe and worldwide.