Final version of Tropical Legumes II Project Report for Phase 1 - icrisat
Final version of Tropical Legumes II Project Report for Phase 1 - icrisat
Final version of Tropical Legumes II Project Report for Phase 1 - icrisat
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Technology generation<br />
Mechanistic studies on drought resistance<br />
Work at CIAT headquarters in Colombia involved both breeding in support <strong>of</strong> the program in Africa, and<br />
physiology work as a complement to breeding. At the outset <strong>of</strong> the TL <strong>II</strong> project, substantial progress<br />
had been made in improving the drought resistance <strong>of</strong> the small seeded Mesoamerican beans. This was<br />
carried out in part under a BMZ-Germany, funded project in which Nicaragua, Rwanda and Malawi<br />
participated. In 2009 and 2010, small red-seeded varieties with drought resistance were <strong>for</strong>mally<br />
released from that ef<strong>for</strong>t in Rwanda and Nicaragua. The research in TL <strong>II</strong> built on that experience,<br />
and sought to extend it to the medium-to-large seeded beans <strong>of</strong> the Andean gene pool. Mechanisms<br />
being investigated involve both roots to access soil moisture, particularly from deeper soil layers, and<br />
remobilization <strong>of</strong> photosynthate to grain (partitioning <strong>of</strong> biomass).<br />
Studies on mechanisms <strong>of</strong> drought resistance: We continued to evaluate a set <strong>of</strong> 36 elite lines in<br />
our drought season from June to September in CIAT-Colombia. Year to year rainfall variability created<br />
different patterns <strong>of</strong> drought stress, and over the past three years we have experienced light intermittent<br />
drought (2008), terminal drought (2009), and low rainfall that extended over much <strong>of</strong> the vegetative<br />
period (2010) (Figure 6-8). Each pattern <strong>of</strong> drought affected the crop response differently, and ranking<br />
<strong>of</strong> genotypes changed somewhat under different patterns (Table 6-20).<br />
Light intermittent drought in 2008 resulted in very acceptable yields <strong>of</strong> drought-selected lines, although<br />
there were still wide differences in relation to the commercial check. Under terminal drought (2009),<br />
early materials ranked relatively better, as would be expected. These included SER 125 (released in<br />
Nicaragua), SER 16 (released in Rwanda), and G40001 (<strong>Phase</strong>olus acutifolius). SER 78 was the highest<br />
yielder in 2009 and was mediocre in other years. In 2010 occasional but light rainfall during the<br />
vegetative phase <strong>of</strong> the crop resulted in more modest shoot development, and the ranking <strong>of</strong> some lines<br />
changed substantially. SXB 412 and SXB 405, both types developed <strong>for</strong> Brazil, and with adaptation<br />
to poor soil, ranked relatively better, whereas early materials were mid-to-low in ranking. This pattern<br />
<strong>of</strong> drought stress due to low rainfall during vegetative growth might have stimulated more early root<br />
growth in some genotypes, while the early materials did not benefit from this capacity. On the other<br />
hand, SXB 412 and SXB 405 were both mediocre under intermittent and terminal drought in 2008 and<br />
2009, respectively.<br />
A few entries, particularly black-seeded lines, were excellent under all patterns <strong>of</strong> drought, as well<br />
as with adequate soil moisture provided through irrigation. SEN 56 stood out among these. In spite<br />
<strong>of</strong> being relatively early to mature, it was the best line in 2010 when other early materials slipped in<br />
ranking. NCB 226 was especially noteworthy, since it was also one <strong>of</strong> the best lines under combined<br />
stress <strong>of</strong> low P and drought (see Table 6-20 below). Both lines have excellent remobilization <strong>of</strong><br />
photosynthates to grain, a trait that is shared with SER 118 (small red) which was also very good in<br />
2010, and has per<strong>for</strong>med well under low soil fertility conditions. These observations bode well <strong>for</strong> the<br />
potential <strong>of</strong> developing varieties <strong>of</strong> common bean with multiple stress resistance. However, these results<br />
also indicate how complex the interactions <strong>of</strong> stress are on the crop. Plant responses to different types<br />
<strong>of</strong> stress may well be independent traits, and if this is the case, it appears that they can be recombined<br />
in lines such as NCB 226.<br />
Correlations between yield and plant attributes under irrigated and rainfed conditions <strong>of</strong> the 36 lines<br />
varied somewhat from year to year, probably reflecting the different rainfall patterns in each year (Table<br />
6-21). For example, days to flowering varied from -0.28 to -0.59, and leaf area index varied from<br />
-.09 to 0.44 in rainfed trials. However, pod harvest index (PHI) or the percent <strong>of</strong> pod biomass that is<br />
represented by seed weight, was the most consistently positive, and is a trait that should be considered<br />
as a selection criterion <strong>for</strong> breeding.<br />
138<br />
Engaging Smallholder Farmers | <strong>Tropical</strong> <strong>Legumes</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Project</strong>