Genetic Divergence among Commercial Classes of Phaseolus vulgaris in Relation to Phaseolin Pattern1

Abstract

Screening of 107 bean cultivars and plant introductions (PI) by 2-dimensional electrophoresis revealed only 3 different phaseolin patterns: Tendergreen (T), Sanilac (S), and Contender (C). The majority of the lines had either the ‘T’ (25%) or ‘S’ (69%) phaseolin patterns, with only 6% having the ‘C’ pattern. Phaseolin pattern was not strictly associated with commercial class but most cultivars with the ‘T’ pattern were snap beans, while the majority of lines with the ‘S’ pattern were dry beans. Furthermore, the phaseolin types of 15 cultivars were associated with previous cultivar groupings that were based on calculations of genetic relationships. A genetic distinction was noted between the groups of cultivars containing the ‘T’ and ‘S’ phaseolin patterns.