Anthracnose Resistance in Andean Beans

Anthracnose is a seed-borne disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, and is cosmopolitan in distribution. It is one of the most economically important diseases of common bean, and can cause devastation to farmers’ fields, resulting in yield losses as high as 95% in susceptible bean cultivars. The objectives of this study were: (i) identify new sources of anthracnose resistance in a diverse panel of Andean beans comprised of multiple seed types and market classes from the Americas, Africa, and Europe, and (ii) explore the genetic basis of this resistance using Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). Numerous resistant lines were identified within the 230 bean lines screened for all eight races of anthracnose included in the study (races 7, 39, 55, 65, 73, 109, 2047, and 3481). Outputs from the GWAS indicated major QTL for resistance within Andean beans on four linkage groups: Pv01, Pv02, Pv04, and Pv11.