Wild Bean Research Articles

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) lines devoid of major lectin proteins

AbstractIn common bean, the most abundant proteins of the lectin family (arcelin, phytohaemagglutinin and α‐amylase inhibitor –APA proteins) are major antinutritional factors of the seeds. Reduced protein digestibility and high toxicity at the intestinal level are the causes of their antinutritional effect. Bean lines producing seeds without the lectins mentioned above were developed to improve nutritional characteristics of bean seeds used for human consumption and, potentially, for animal feeding. The genetic trait was transferred from a wild bean accession into a number of bean cultivars. The 1 : 3 ‘lectin‐free/lectin‐containing seeds’ segregation ratio hypothesis was confirmed by chi‐square analysis in the F2 progenies. Four lectin‐free stable lines, P500, P501, 938 and 586/8 (white seeded), and 44 climbing breeding lines, have been developed. The ‘white seed coat’ trait, correlated with a reduced amount of tannins and polyphenols in bean seeds, has been introduced in our lectin‐free materials to further improve their nutritional characteristics. The field performance of P501, 938 and 586/8 and that of their lectin‐containing parents, was evaluated on 2007 in two locations. Dry seed yield, seed emergence, plant height, plant growth duration, average weight and germination capacity of the produced seeds were surveyed and statistically analysed. At the location of Battipaglia (Salerno), the dry seed yield value of the lectin‐free line 938 (3.74 t/ha) and that of one of its parent, the CIAT line BAT 881 (3.65 t/ha), were significantly higher than those of all other lines tested. Germination percentage of lectin‐free lines, recorded 3 days after sowing, was significantly higher than that of controls.

The Putative Mesoamerican Domestication Center of Phaseolus vulgaris Is Located in the Lerma–Santiago Basin of Mexico

Mesoamerican food agriculture is defined by the milpa cropping system, consisting of maize (Zea mays L.), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and squash (Cucurbita spp.). In recent years, a domestication center for maize has been proposed in the Balsas River basin in west‐central Mexico, raising the question whether the Balsas basin was also the center of origin for Mesoamerican food agriculture in general. We conducted a survey of genetic diversity for 26 microsatellite markers in a representative sample of 155 wild and domesticated common bean from its Mesoamerican gene pool. Microsatellite diversity was analyzed with STRUCTURE, neighbor‐joining tree construction, and principal coordinate analysis. Most Mesoamerican domesticated accessions clustered in a single group, suggesting a single domestication. Furthermore, the most closely related wild beans to the domesticated clade originated from a restricted region in the Rio Lerma–Rio Grande de Santiago basin in west‐central Mexico, distinct from the Balsas basin. Although wild maize and Phaseolus beans grow together in the wild, they appear to have been domesticated in different regions to be reunited later on in a single cropping system. Crop domestications in Mesoamerica may therefore have a diffuse rather than a single geographic origin. Archaeological and ecological investigations into the origins of agriculture should be refocused from the arid eastern half of Mexico to the west‐central part of the country.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Common Bean: Their Discovery and Genotyping Using a Multiplex Detection System

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are by far the most common form of DNA polymorphism in a genome. The objectives of this study were to discover SNPs in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by comparing sequences from coding and noncoding regions obtained from the GenBank and genomic DNA and to compare sequencing results with those obtained using single base extension (SBE) assays on the Luminex‐100 system for use in high‐throughput germplasm evaluation. We assessed the frequency of SNPs in 47 fragments of common bean DNA, using SBE as the evaluation methodology. We conducted a sequence analysis of 10 genotypes of cultivated and wild beans belonging to the Mesoamerican and Andean genetic pools of P. vulgaris. For the 10 genotypes evaluated, a total of 20,964 bp of sequence were analyzed in each genotype and compared, resulting in the discovery of 239 SNPs and 133 InDels, giving an average SNP frequency of one per 88 bp and an InDel frequency of one per 157 bp. This is the equivalent of a nucleotide diversity (θ) of 6.27 × 10−3. Comparisons with the SNP genotypes previously obtained by direct sequencing showed that the SBE assays on the Luminex‐100 were accurate, with 2.5% being miscalled and 1% showing no signal. These results indicate that the Luminex‐100 provides a high‐throughput system that can be used to analyze SNPs in large samples of genotypes both for purposes of assessing diversity and also for mapping studies.

Floristic Study of Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve, Mason County, Illinois

ABSTRACT The 590 ha Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve in Mason County, Illinois contains remnant dry sand prairies, sand savanna, sand forest, and successional fields. Purchased in 1969, the abandoned agricultural fields have been allowed to re-vegetate naturally. The vegetation of a mature dry sand prairie was compared with two successional fields, one 60- and one 30-years-old. The mature dry sand prairie was dominated by Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Dichanthelium villosissimum (hairy panic grass), Tephrosia virginiana (goat's-rue), Ambrosia psilostachya (western ragweed), and Opuntia humifusa (common pricklypear). Eragrostis trichodes (sand love grass) dominated the 60-year-old successional fields. The 30-year-old successional field was dominated by Eragrostis trichodes, Strophostyles helvula (wild bean), and Monarda punctata (horsemint). A total of 393 vascular plant species were documented for the preserve.

Arcelins from an Indian Wild Pulse, Lablab purpureus, and Insecticidal Activity in Storage Pests

A partially purified protein fraction was isolated from seed flour of the Indian wild bean, Lablab purpureus, by ion exchange and size-exclusion chromatographies. Partially purified L. purpureus proteins had hemagglutination and glycoslyation properties similar to those of lectins or lectin-like proteins from other pulses. Data obtained from two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF, and MALDI-TOF/TOF and N-terminal protein sequencing of the isolated polypeptides from L. purpureus demonstrated that the extract contained proteins similar to isoforms of arcelins 3 and 4 and pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PvPR1) of Phaseolus vulgaris. L. purpureus proteins were resistant to degradation by the commercial enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin and were moderately resistant to pepsin, but were readily hydrolyzed to smaller peptides by papain. Insect feeding bioassays of the extract with the storage pests Rhyzopertha dominica and Oryzaephilus surinamensis, internal and external feeders of grain, respectively, demonstrated that L. purpureus proteins at 2% in the diet resulted in retarded development. However, a 5% dose of the L. purpureus fraction resulted in complete mortality of all larvae in both species. This study has demonstrated that proteins in the partially purified L. purpureus extract have the potential to control storage pests in cereals transformed with L. purpureus defense-related genes, but the need for more studies regarding efficacy and safety is discussed.

ANTHROPOGENIC EFFECTS ON POPULATION GENETICS OF PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECTS ASSOCIATED WITH DOMESTICATED PLANTS

The hypothesis of isolation by distance (IBD) predicts that genetic differentiation between populations increases with geographic distance. However, gene flow is governed by numerous factors and the correlation between genetic differentiation and geographic distance is never simply linear. In this study, we analyze the interaction between the effects of geographic distance and of wild or domesticated status of the host plant on genetic differentiation in the bean beetle Acanthoscelides obvelatus. Geographic distance explained most of the among-population genetic differentiation. However, IBD varied depending on the kind of population pairs for which the correlation between genetic differentiation and geographic distance was examined. Whereas pairs of beetle populations associated with wild beans showed significant IBD (P < 10(-4)), no IBD was found when pairs of beetle populations on domesticated beans were examined (P= 0.2992). This latter result can be explained by long-distance migrations of beetles on domesticated plants resulting from human exchanges of bean seeds. Beetle populations associated with wild beans were also significantly more likely than those on domesticated plants to contain rare alleles. However, at the population level, beetles on cultivated beans were similar in allelic richness to those on wild beans. This similarity in allelic richness combined with differences in other aspects of the genetic diversity (i.e., IBD, allelic diversity) is compatible with strongly contrasting effects of migration and drift. This novel indirect effect of human actions on gene flow of a serious pest of a domesticated plant has important implications for the spread of new adaptations such as resistance to pesticides.

Reproductive consequences of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Ascomycota) infection on wild bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Fungal plant parasites can have strong reproductive consequences on their hosts, but little is known about the amount of parasite-induced fitness loss under natural conditions. We present data from wild populations of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum Sacc. &amp; Magn., a fungal parasite that attacks the wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). We estimated disease prevalence in two populations and fungal virulence by examining naturally infected plants for three fitness-related traits: number of seeds per pod, mass of seed per pod, and germination rate. We observed that C. lindemuthianum infected nearly all plants in the study populations, but that the amount of infected pods per plant varied greatly. In addition, infection was associated with a reduction of host fitness-related traits only in pods with sporulating lesions. These findings suggest that C. lindemuthianum may constitute a significant selection pressure in wild populations, and that impact of spore production on host fitness may influence virulence evolution in this fungus.

Polyphenols in Wild and Weedy Mexican Common Beans (Phaseolus vulgarisL.)

The polyphenolic composition of 62 wild and weedy Mexican bean collections from diverse origins, grouped by their seed coat color, was assessed. According to spectrophotometric analysis, the range of total phenols, condensed tannins, and total anthocyanins presented wide differences. Furthermore, the phenolic acid, flavonoid, and anthocyanin profiles were analyzed using HPLC. Ferulic was the main phenolic acid. Kaempferol and quercetin were the main flavonoids, and the isoflavones daidzein and coumestrol were found in only low levels in few collections. Delphinidin was the main anthocyanidin found, followed by petunidin, cyanidin, malvidin, pelargonidin, and peonidin. The wide variation observed in polyphenolic contents was more related to their genotype than to the color factor. These results show that some wild and weedy beans are good sources of phenolic compounds for use in breeding programs focused on nutrition and health.

Genetic diversity of Phaeoisariopsis griseola in Argentina as revealed by pathogenic and molecular markers

Angular leaf spot, a disease of common bean produced by Phaeoisariopsis griseola, an imperfect (Deuteromycotina) fungus, causes significant yield losses in Argentina. The development of a strategy to control and/or reduce the impact of P. griseola requires a previous knowledge of the population structure. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to analyze diversity among 45 isolates of P. griseola collected within the production area of common bean in Northwestern Argentina. Pathotypes diversity was determined based on a set of bean differentials and genomic differences between isolates were determined by means of molecular markers. We confirmed that isolates belonging to Middle American and Andean groups coexist in Northwestern Argentina and the level of diversity between them was considerable and of similar level within each group. Even though the number of isolates analyzed was 45, among them 37 were Middle American and only eight were Andean. The number of haplotypes found based on ISSR and RAPD markers were 18 and as expected, they were unrelated with pathotypes. The wild bean species, Phaseolus vulgaris var. aborigineus, showed a high level of tolerance to most pathotypes of P. griseola except 63.63 and 63.23. This together with the fact that none of the bean differentials was resistant to all pathotypes led us to conclude that the range of pathogenic responses might be conditioned by multigenic interactions between the pathogen and the host. Our results not only provided basic information about the diversity of the causative agent of the disease but it will also help to develop cultivars with enhanced tolerance and/or resistance to the disease.

Hybridization Between Wild and Domesticated Types of Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Fabaceae) in Argentina

A polymorphic population of Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. aborigineus (Burkart) Baudet growing in northwestern Argentina was studied. In order to know the origin of this polymorphism, plants belonging to the var. aborigineus, others showing floral dimorphism and individuals with weedy type characters were collected. Their seeds, obtained after fieldwork treatments of autogamy and free pollination in order to know their reproductive system, were sown in a greenhouse. Information of their growth was recorded and several numerical analyses were performed. With the results obtained, we concluded that those individuals that showed floral dimorphism are probably a result of hybridization and/or introgression between the var. aborigineus and cultivated forms that grow in the area. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of divergent segregation in the offspring. Also, the offspring of the F1 was followed and allowed us to conclude the possible existence of degeneration of the hybrid progeny. This degeneration indicates that an unwanted gene flow in the area could lead to a decline in the wild bean population. The vigour and high reproductive success of the offspring belonging to the individuals corresponding to the var. aborigineus, whose progenitor was treated for outcrossing, and the existence of plants with weedy type characteristics, are indicative of the necessity to preserve this germplasm in order to evaluate its agronomic potential as brief as possible. The population here studied constitutes a wild-weed–crop complex growing in Argentina.

QTL analysis of yield traits in an advanced backcross population derived from a cultivated Andean × wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cross

Advanced backcross QTL analysis was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for agronomic performance in a population of BC2F(3:5) introgression lines created from the cross of a Colombian large red-seeded commercial cultivar, ICA Cerinza, and a wild common bean accession, G24404. A total of 157 lines were evaluated for phenological traits, plant architecture, seed weight, yield and yield components in replicated trials in three environments in Colombia and genotyped with microsatellite, SCAR, and phaseolin markers that were used to create a genetic map that covered all 11 linkage groups of the common bean genome with markers spaced at an average distance of every 10.4 cM. Segregation distortion was most significant in regions orthologous for a seed coat color locus (R-C) on linkage group b08 and two domestication syndrome genes, one on linkage group b01 at the determinacy (fin) locus and the other on linkage group b02 at the seed-shattering (st) locus. Composite interval mapping analysis identified a total of 41 significant QTL for the eight traits measured of which five for seed weight, two for days to flowering, and one for yield were consistent across two or more environments. QTL were located on every linkage group with b06 showing the greatest number of independent loci. A total of 13 QTL for plant height, yield and yield components along with a single QTL for seed size showed positive alleles from the wild parent while the remaining QTL showed positive alleles from the cultivated parent. Some QTL co-localized with regions that had previously been described to be important for these traits. Compensation was observed between greater pod and seed production and smaller seed size and may have resulted from QTL for these traits being linked or pleiotropic. Although wild beans have been used before to transfer biotic stress resistance traits, this study is the first to attempt to simultaneously obtain a higher yield potential from wild beans and to analyze this trait with single-copy markers. The wild accession was notable for being from a unique center of diversity and for contributing positive alleles for yield and other traits to the introgression lines showing the potential that advanced backcrossing has in common bean improvement.

遮光条件下における野生および雑草アズキの生育と種子生産

アズキの野生祖先種であるヤブツルアズキ (Vigna angularis var. nipponensis) と雑草系統の雑草アズキ (ノラアズキ, 学名はない) を自生地保全するための基礎的知見を得る目的で, 自生群落での他種植物との競争を想定した遮光条件下 (高遮光 : 相対照度約50%, 中遮光 : 相対照度約70%, 無遮光) で栽培アズキ, ヤブツルアズキ, ノラアズキを栽培し, 草型と個体乾物重, 種子生産数を調べた。生育初期からの強い遮光条件によってヤブツルアズキとノラアズキは, 葉のサイズ, 総茎長, 側枝数, 茎の直径, 個体乾物重を減少させ, 主茎の下位節間を伸長させた。播種後約40日目のヤブツルアズキの主茎は, 高遮光条件で無遮光よりやや短かったが, 145cm以上あり, ノラアズキの主茎は高遮光条件で対照区と同等か長くなる傾向にあった (105～145cm)。高遮光下でヤブツルアズキとノラアズキの主茎が長めに成長するのは, 幼植物の時に共存する植物によって遮光された場合に群落の上部 (草冠) に個体上部を到達させる役割を果たすと推定された。高遮光, 中遮光のいずれの条件下においても主茎の伸長能力はノラアズキよりヤブツルアズキで優れており, ヤブツルアズキがノラアズキよりも光に関して競争的な環境での生育に適していると示唆された。しかし, 連続した高い遮光条件下ではヤブツルアズキはノラアズキと同様に繁殖器官の乾物重や種子生産数を激減させており, 生育の後半に遮光されるような環境には適応していないと推定された。

Identification of a novel bean α-amylase inhibitor with chitinolytic activity

Zabrotes subfasciatus is a devastating starch-dependent storage bean pest. In this study, we attempted to identify novel α-amylase inhibitors from wild bean seeds, with efficiency toward pest α-amylases. An inhibitor named Phaseolus vulgaris chitinolytic α-amylase inhibitor (PvCAI) was purified and mass spectrometry analyses showed a protein with 33 330 Da with the ability to form dimers. Purified PvCAI showed significant inhibitory activity against larval Z. subfasciatus α-amylases with no activity against mammalian enzymes. N-terminal sequence analyses showed an unexpected high identity to plant chitinases from the glycoside hydrolase family 18. Furthermore, their chitinolytic activity was also detected. Our data provides compelling evidence that PvCAI also possessed chitinolytic activity, indicating the emergence of a novel α-amylase inhibitor class.

Impact of Defoliation on Herbage and Seed Production ofStrophostyles HelvulaandS. Leiosperma

James P Muir, Roderick L Reed and Dariusz P Malinowski

Leaf epidermal characters related with plant's passive resistance to pathogens vary among accessions of wild beans Phaseolus vulgaris var. aborigineus (Leguminosae–Phaseoleae)

We report here whether accessions of Phaseolus vulgaris var. aborigineus, collected from the southernmost part of the Andean domestication center of common bean, presented differences among leaf epidermal characters. Epidermal microcharacters such as deposition of wax crystalloids, cuticle thickness, trichome types, size and density, stomata types and size, stomatal density and index were examined on the surface of 66 leaves of 11 accessions of P. vulgaris var. aborigineus by means of light and scanning electron microscopy. Unlike the leaves of cultivated beans, those of P. vulgaris var. aborigineus were hypostomatous. Among epidermal characters only the stomatal density, stomatal index, and the number of trichomes on the abaxial leaf epidermis were different between bean accessions. The stomatal density and index of the accessions were inversely related to the altitude of the area of the wild bean collection. This is the first report describing the presence of diversity among epidermal characters (e.g. hypostomatous leaves) in P. vulgaris var. aborigineus that might contribute to plant resistance to pathogens.

Ancient and recent evolutionary history of the bruchid beetle, Acanthoscelides obtectus Say, a cosmopolitan pest of beans

Acanthoscelides obtectus Say is a bruchid species of Neotropical origin, and is specialized on beans of the Phaseolus vulgaris L. group. Since the domestication and diffusion of beans, A. obtectus has become cosmopolitan through human-mediated migrations and is now a major pest in bean granaries. Using phylogeographic methods applied to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear microsatellite molecular markers, we show that the origin of this species is probably further south than Mesoamerica, as commonly thought. Our results also indicate that A. obtectus and its Mesoamerican sister species Acanthoscelides obvelatus, two morphologically close species differing principally in voltinism, speciated in allopatry: A. obtectus (multivoltine) arising in Andean America and A. obvelatus (univoltine) in Mesoamerica. In contrast to Mesoamerica where beans fruit once yearly, wild beans in Andean America fruit year-round, especially in regions showing little or no seasonality. In such habitats where resources are continuously present, multivoltinism is adaptive. According to existing hypotheses, multivoltinism in A. obtectus is a new adaptation that evolved after bean domestication. Our data suggest the alternative hypothesis that multivoltinism is an older trait, adapted to exploit the year-round fruiting of wild beans in relatively aseasonal habitats, and allowed A. obtectus to become a pest in bean granaries. This trait also permitted this species to disperse through human-mediated migrations associated with diffusion of domesticated beans. We also show that diversity of Old World A. obtectus populations can be quite well explained by a single colonization event about 500 bp. Human-mediated migrations appear not to be rare, as our results indicate a second more recent migration event from Andean America to Mexico.

Domestication patterns in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and the origin of the Mesoamerican and Andean cultivated races

Chloroplast DNA polymorphisms were studied by PCR sequencing and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 165 accessions of domesticated landraces of common bean from Latin America and the USA, 23 accessions of weedy beans, and 134 accessions of wild beans covering the entire geographic range of wild Phaseolus vulgaris. Fourteen chloroplast haplotypes were identified in wild beans, only five of which occur also in domesticated beans. The chloroplast data agree with those obtained from analyses based on morphology and isozymes and with other DNA polymorphisms in supporting independent domestications of common bean in Mesoamerica and the Andean region and in demonstrating a founder effect associated with domestication in each region. Andean landraces have been classified into three different racial groups, but all share the same chloroplast haplotype. This suggests that common bean was domesticated once only in South America and that the races diverged post-domestication. The haplotype found in Andean domesticated beans is confined to the southern part of the range of wild beans, so Andean beans were probably domesticated somewhere within this area. Mesoamerican landraces have been classified into four racial groups. Our limited samples of Races Jalisco and Guatemala differ from the more widespread and commercially important Races Mesoamerica and Durango in types and/or frequencies of haplotypes. All four Mesoamerican races share their haplotypes with local wild beans in parts of their ranges. Independent domestications of at least some of the races in Mesoamerica and/or conversion of some locally adapted wild beans to cultigens by hybridization with introduced domesticated beans, followed by introgression of the "domestication syndrome" seem the most plausible explanations of the chloroplast and other molecular data.

Morphology, phenology and agronomic traits of two wild Mexican common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) populations under cultivation

The objective of this research was to characterise two populations of wild bean grown simultaneously in an experimental field site in Chapingo, Mexico. For comparative purposes, two cultivars of common bean were included. Only seven of 24 phenological and morphological traits (e.g. number of days to emergence, expansion of primary leaves and third trifoliolate leaf, number of branches per plant, diameter of stem, number of flower buds per plant and nodes per branch) investigated were statistically similar between and within wild samples due largely to differences in growth habit. The number of inflorescences, leaves, pods and seeds per wild plant fluctuated between 72 and 145, 109 and 206, 68 and 284 and 180 and 513, respectively. In contrast, each cultivar was highly homogeneous. Principal component analyses supported the conclusion that these morphological and agronomic characteristics of wild common bean populations primarily depend on the predominant growth habit type and that under different environments, the expression of these traits may change.

Response to salinity of three grain legumes for potential cultivation in arid areas

The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake and distribution of ions in three grain legume species for potential use in arid zones. Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.), and wild bean “frijolillo” (Phaseolus filiformis Bent) were grown during a period of 14 d in a nutrient solution salinized with 80 mmol L−1 NaCl. Plant height, leaf number, and leaf area of the saline treated plants were all low because of salinity. The dry weight (DW) of the roots, stems, and leaves of cowpea and “frijolillo” was significantly lower when the plants were subjected to the saline treatment, while the DW of the stems and leaves of the tepary bean plants treated with NaCl was close to that of the control plants (0 mmol L−1 NaCl). Root DW was significantly higher under salinity conditions only in tepary bean. The net uptake rate (NUR) and net transport rate (NTR) of Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ in cowpea and “frijolillo” shoots were lower in the saline treated plants than in the control (0 mmol L−1 NaCl), while tepary bean subjected to the salinity treatment displayed higher cation net uptake rate and transport. The NTR / NUR ratio of Na+ in tepary bean, “frijolillo,” and cowpea treated with NaCl were 0.07, 0.70 and 0.72, respectively, indicating that Na+ transport to the shoots was in the following order: cowpea > “frijolillo” > tepary bean. Na+ distribution to roots, stems, and petioles was higher than the DW distribution to the same organs of the saline-treated plants only for tepary bean, while the Na+ distribution was lower than the DW distribution to leaves. These facts indicate that Na+ ion easily move to the leaves in cowpea, while in tepary bean and “frijolillo,” Na+ mobility is restricted in order to prevent Na+ accumulation in leaves, and is achieved through the higher capacity of the stem and petiole to hold Na+. In the cowpea and “frijolillo” plants treated with NaCl, the uptake and transport of Ca2+ and Mg2+ were significantly lower, while in the tepary bean plants these rates were not affected by the saline treatment that exerted a negligible adverse effect on plant growth. The higher Ca2+ and Mg2+ uptake in tepary bean could be caused either by the higher Ca2+ and Mg2+ absorption efficiency or by the higher Ca2+ and Mg2+ uptake and transport required to neutralize excess Cl− in the cells.

Putative Quantitative Trait Loci for Physical and Chemical Components of Common Bean

In common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), some nutritional traits such as proteins and mineral content are lower in the cultivated form as compared with the wild counterpart. To assess the feasibility of wild bean as the putative source of desirable traits such as minerals or tannins, this study was performed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with seed mass, Ca, Fe, Zn, and tannin content in bean seed. Two‐hundred‐ninety‐one amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers were scored in 120 F2:3 segregating individuals derived from a cross between cultivated ‘Bayo Baranda’ and wild common bean accession G‐22837. Seed weight and minerals and tannin contents were quantified on the seed harvested from the 120 individual plants. Significant transgressive segregation was observed among the F2:3 individuals for some characteristics. A total of 57 AFLP markers were distributed among five linkage groups with a coverage of 497 centiMorgans (cM). Five putative QTL were significantly associated with seed mass, two with Ca, two with Fe, one with Zn, and four with tannin content in the seed. These QTL explained ≈42, 25, 25, 15, and 42% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. Due to known environmental effect on most nutritional traits, the use of QTL with larger effects could be used to screen segregating populations that include wild genotypes, wild populations, and ancestral landraces from the region where outstanding wild populations are identified.