Breeding for common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) rust resistance in Brazil

Abstract

Common bean is an economically, nutritionally, and socially important crop. It is grown in distinct regions and different seasons around the world by subsistence level farmers with low-technology input as well as by farmers that use high input technologies. One important factor that can limit the bean growing and drastically affect grain yields is the high number of destructive pathogens that attack and cause serious damage to the crop. Among them is bean rust, incited by the fungus Uromyces appendiculatus. This disease is distributed throughout the world, but it effectively causes major production problems in humid tropical and subtropical regions. In Brazil, rust causes major losses in south, southeast, and central regions of the country. Bean rust control by resistant cultivars is an easy and economical strategy to be used in association to other rust management practices. Pyramiding of different race-specific resistance genes in association with other genes conferring adult plant resistance, slow rusting, and reduced pustule size can prolong the lifespan of a common bean cultivar by creating a more durable resistance complex against the rust pathogen. This review manuscript presents an overview on bean rust and reports some breeding efforts aiming to develop rust resistant cultivars in Brazil. © Copyright by the Brazilian Phytopathological Society.