Abstract
Iron and zinc malnutrition are global public health concerns afflicting mostly infants, children, and women in low- and middle-income countries with widespread consumption of plant-based diets. Common bean is a widely consumed staple crop around the world and is an excellent source of protein, fiber, and minerals including iron and zinc. The development of nutrient-dense common bean varieties that deliver more bioavailable iron and zinc with a high level of trait stability requires a measurement of the contributions from genotype, environment, and genotype by environment interactions. In this research, we investigated the magnitude of genotype by environment interaction for seed zinc and iron concentration and seed iron bioavailability (FeBIO) using a set of nine test genotypes and three farmers’ local check varieties. The research germplasm was evaluated for two field seasons across nine on-farm locations in three agro-ecological zones in Uganda. Seed zinc concentration ranged from 18.0 to 42.0 μg g–1 and was largely controlled by genotype, location, and the interaction between location and season [28.0, 26.2, and 14.7% of phenotypic variability explained (PVE), respectively]. Within a genotype, zinc concentration ranged on average 12 μg g–1 across environments. Seed iron concentration varied from 40.7 to 96.7 μg g–1 and was largely controlled by genotype, location, and the interaction between genotype, location, and season (25.7, 17.4, and 13.7% of PVE, respectively). Within a genotype, iron concentration ranged on average 28 μg g–1 across environments. Seed FeBIO ranged from 8 to 116% of Merlin navy control and was largely controlled by genotype (68.3% of PVE). The red mottled genotypes (Rozi Koko and Chijar) accumulated the most seed zinc and iron concentration, while the yellow (Ervilha and Cebo Cela) and white (Blanco Fanesquero) genotypes had the highest seed FeBIO and performed better than the three farmers’ local check genotypes (NABE-4, NABE-15, and Masindi yellow). The genotypes with superior and stable trait performance, especially the Manteca seed class which combine high iron and zinc concentrations with high FeBIO, would serve as valuable parental materials for crop improvement breeding programs aimed at enhancing the nutritional value of the common bean.
Highlights
Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) malnutrition afflicts millions of people around the world
Seed Fe concentration was largely controlled by genotype (25.7% of Phenotypic variability explained (PVE)), followed by location (17.4% of PVE)
The interaction terms L × S and G × L × S each contributed 11.3 and 13.7% of PVE to the total variation observed in seed Fe concentration of the cooked common bean samples (Table 3)
Summary
Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) malnutrition afflicts millions of people around the world. Iron and Zn are the essential trace minerals deficient in diets of people living in low- and middle-income countries with heavy consumption of plant-based staple diets (Tulchinsky, 2010). Zinc deficiency in humans can result in an impaired immune system, increased susceptibility to infections, stunting, and diminished learning ability (Krebs et al, 2014). Consumption of foods with low amounts of Fe can result in iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Majority of pregnant women and young children often suffer from IDA, which can lead to increased cases of maternal and child mortality (WHO, 2008). The majority of vulnerable segments of the population for Zn and Fe deficiencies are present in lowincome countries and include women, pregnant and nursing women, and infants and pre-school children (Ruel-Bergeron et al, 2015). The global burden of Zn and Fe malnutrition can result in socio-economic losses and reduced work performance and productivity, affecting national economies (Haas and Brownlie, 2021; Black, 2014)
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