SmartBeans

Background and Objective

A collection of plant genetic resources PGR focused on Europe will be characterized together for the first time with respect to plant performance and food value and the trait complexes that determine them (e.g. vigor, drought tolerance, technical yield, protein, essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, value-reducing ingredients lectins, proteinase inhibitors, oligosaccharides as well as seed coat thickness and water uptake).

Genetic information from genome sequencing will be used to identify new marker associations to the above-mentioned utilization-relevant, yield-, nutritional and morphological traits, and to identify candidate genes for selected traits.

The objectives are the compilation and provision of all phenotypic and genotypic information as well as the creation of a core collection from the PGR, which will serve plant breeders as a basis for new breeding activities for Phaseolus beans that can then be used in Germany and Central Europe.

Additional trials to test alternative bean preparation methods and to produce semi-finished food products such as bean flour, bean paste and bean cheese will bring together the results and, through the selection of suitable genotypes and the use of alternative processing methods, exemplify the simple and rapid preparation of bean dishes and products that are beneficial to health and are easily digestible, thus strengthening regional value chains and increasing the supply of protein from domestic production.

Approach

Approximately 200 bean genotypes will be tested in 2023 (1), 2024 (2), and 2025 (3). These genotypes will be multiplied in years 1 and 2 to have sufficient seed available.

From the project partner INRES these bean genotypes will be grown and phenotyped in the field as single plants in years 1, 2 and 3 and at the end in plots (WP Plant Phenotyping). The harvested beans ("kernels") will then be analyzed by the project partner INRES in the laboratory for morphological and physiological characteristics (years 1 and 2) (WP Bean Phenotyping). At the same time, another part of the harvested beans ("kernels") will be chemically analyzed for ingredients by the project partner THÜNEN (from years 1 and 2) (WP Bean Chemotyping). The bean genotypes will be sequenced (WP Genome Sequencing). The project partner INRES will process the genome sequencing data. Using the phenotypic data from the bean plants and seeds and the chemotypic data from the ingredient analysis, the Genome-Wide-Association-Study will be performed by the project partner INRES in years 1, 2 and 3 to determine the QTLs and to identify selected candidate genes. This will be followed by the preparation of the core collection from the tested plant genetic resources and the documentation of all genotypic data (WP Genotyping). Alternative preparation methods for dry edible beans are to be tested and exemplary processing methods for the food or food precursors (semi-finished food products) bean flour, bean paste and bean cheese are to be developed (WP Food Processing). The material and product samples taken in the process will then be examined by the project partner THÜNEN for value-giving and value-reducing ingredients (WP Food Testing).