Diversity and use of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) populations from Samsun, Turkey

Abstract

In the north of Turkey, pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is one of the most important crops. Forty-four analysed populations of pinto bean were collected from Samsun province in northern Turkey. The variability of the 44 self-pollinated populations of pinto bean was evaluated on morphological, reproductive, and agronomical traits during 2003–2004. Individual data for 24 traits (14 quantitative and 10 qualitative) related to earliness and yield, and plant, pod, and seed structure were analysed using Principal Component (PC) analysis which revealed differences among the populations. The PC analysis showed that the first four PC axes explained 83.3% of the total multivariate variation. Characters with high coefficients in the first PC (earliness and yield traits), and the second PC (pod length, pod width, and pod form) were considered the most important since these axes explain nearly half of the total variation. Data were subjected to cluster analysis and several groups were identified with most of the populations. Clustered into six groups, a dendrogram was prepared to evaluate morphological differences among populations. It revealed high variation. The results provide information on the diversity and breeding values of Turkish pinto bean germplasm. © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.