Inheritance and relationship of the reaction to common bacterial blight and number of days to flowering in dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Abstract

The inheritance of number of days to first flower and the reaction to Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Xcp) were studied using Phaseolus vulgaris parents and F₂ 'Constanza' x GN Tara' and 'Iguacu' x PI207262. Late flowering was determined by a single major dominant gene in the first cross whereas earliness was dominant in the second cross. The same F₂ population of the second cross planted at Lincoln, NE, in 1983 exhibited a continuous distribution for this trait. A narrow sense heritability of 22% for the days to flowering was estimated. The parents and their progenies were inoculated with three Xcp isolates. The reaction to Xcp was quantitatively inherited. Narrow sense heritability values of 11 and 10% for the disease reactions were estimated for two isolates in the cross Iguacu x PI207262. A significant positive association was observed between the above traits in the cross Constanza x GN Tara.