Effect of Cricket Frass Fertilizer on growth and pod production of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Cricket Frass Fertilizer (CFF) was tested for its efficiency and potential as a fertilizer on the growth of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in central Madagascar from April 2020 to October 2020. We grew green beans experimentally for 93 days with seven different fertilizer treatments: NPK 200 kg/ha (0.47 g of N/plant), GUANOMAD (guano from bat) 300 kg/ha (0.26 g of N/ plant), CFF 100 kg/ha (0.12 g of N/plant), CFF 200 kg/ha (0.24 g of N/plant), CFF 300 kg/ha (0.38 g of N/plant), CFF 400 kg/ha (0.52 g of N/plant), and no fertilizer (0 g of N/plant). Three plant traits were measured: survival proportion, vegetative biomass, and pod biomass. The survival proportion of plants treated with the highest dose of CFF (400 kg/ha, 88.1%), NPK (79.8%), and GUANOMAD (81.2%) were similar, but plants treated with the former yielded significantly higher vegetative (35.5 g/plant) and pod biomass (11 g/plant). These results suggest that fertilizing green beans with CFF at a 400 kg/ha dose is sufficient for plant survival and growth, and improves pod production. In Madagascar where soil quality is poor, dependence on imported chemical fertilizers (NPK) and other organic fertilizer (GUANOMAD) can be reduced. Cricket Frass Fertilizer can be used as an alternative sustainable fertilizer for beans.

Digital descriptors sharpen classical descriptors, for improving genebank accession management: A case study on Arachis spp. and Phaseolus spp.

High-throughput phenotyping brings new opportunities for detailed genebank accessions characterization based on image-processing techniques and data analysis using machine learning algorithms. Our work proposes to improve the characterization processes of bean and peanut accessions in the CIAT genebank through the identification of phenomic descriptors comparable to classical descriptors including methodology integration into the genebank workflow. To cope with these goals morphometrics and colorimetry traits of 14 bean and 16 forage peanut accessions were determined and compared to the classical International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) descriptors. Descriptors discriminating most accessions were identified using a random forest algorithm. The most-valuable classification descriptors for peanuts were 100-seed weight and days to flowering, and for beans, days to flowering and primary seed color. The combination of phenomic and classical descriptors increased the accuracy of the classification of Phaseolus and Arachis accessions. Functional diversity indices are recommended to genebank curators to evaluate phenotypic variability to identify accessions with unique traits or identify accessions that represent the greatest phenotypic variation of the species (functional agrobiodiversity collections). The artificial intelligence algorithms are capable of characterizing accessions which reduces costs generated by additional phenotyping. Even though deep analysis of data requires new skills, associating genetic, morphological and ecogeographic diversity is giving us an opportunity to establish unique functional agrobiodiversity collections with new potential traits.

Ultrasound-assisted germination of red kidney beans: Enhancements in physicochemical and nutritional profiles.

To improve the conventional germination process and improve the nutritional quality of red kidney beans, this study employed high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) supplemented with hydrogen peroxide as a pre-germination treatment. The results showed that the 350 W-10 min treatment yielded the highest germination rate (77.09%), with its sprout length 81.13% greater than that of the control group. The 350 W-10 min treatment increased total protein, soluble protein, and ash content, while simultaneously reducing the fat, starch, and soluble sugar content. The HIU treatment accelerated the accumulation of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, ascorbic acid, and γ-aminobutyric acid. The 350 W-10 min treatment also decreased the levels of phytic acid, trypsin inhibitor activity, and tannin by 42.71%, 65.58%, and 53.18%, respectively. Furthermore, ultrasonic cavitation enhanced antioxidative capacity and improved amino acid composition and protein digestibility. Consequently, HIU serves as a cost-efficient method to accelerate the germination process and enhance their nutritional composition.

The halotolerant exopolysaccharide-producing Rhizobium azibense increases the salt tolerance mechanism in Phaseolus vulgaris (L.) by improving growth, ion homeostasis, and antioxidant defensive enzymes.

Globally, agricultural productivity is facing a serious problem due to soil salinity which often causes osmotic, ionic, and redox imbalances in plants. Applying halotolerant rhizobacterial inoculants having multifarious growth-regulating traits is thought to be an effective and advantageous approach to overcome salinity stress. Here, salt-tolerant (tolerating 300 mM NaCl), exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing Rhizobium azibense SR-26 (accession no. MG063740) was assessed for salt alleviation potential by inoculating Phaseolus vulgaris (L.) plants raised under varying NaCl regimes. The metabolically active cells of strain SR-26 produced a significant amount of phytohormones (indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid, and cytokinin), ACC deaminase, ammonia, and siderophore under salt stress. Increasing NaCl concentration variably affected the EPS produced by SR-26. The P-solubilization activity of the SR-26 strain was positively impacted by NaCl, as demonstrated by OD shift in NaCl-treated/untreated NBRIP medium. The detrimental effect of NaCl on plants was lowered by inoculation of halotolerant strain SR-26. Following soil inoculation, R. azibense significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced seed germination (10%), root (19%) shoot (23%) biomass, leaf area (18%), total chlorophyll (21%), and carotenoid content (32%) of P. vulgaris raised in soil added with 40 mM NaCl concentration. Furthermore, strain SR-26 modulated the relative leaf water content (RLWC), proline, total soluble protein (TSP), and sugar (TSS) of salt-exposed plants. Moreover, R. azibense inoculation lowered the concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers; MDA (29%), H2O2 content (24%), electrolyte leakage (31%), membrane stability (36%) and Na+ ion uptake (28%) when applied to 40 mM NaCl-treated plants. Further, R. azibense increases the salt tolerance mechanism of P. vulgaris by upregulating the antioxidant defensive responses. Summarily, it is reasonable to propose that EPS-synthesizing halotolerant R. azibense SR-26 should be applied as the most cost-effective option for increasing the yields of legume crops specifically P. vulgaris in salinity-challenged soil systems.

Identification of consistent QTL and candidate genes associated with seed traits in common bean by combining GWAS and RNA-Seq.

KEY MESSAGE: Association analysis, colocation study with previously reported QTL, and differential expression analyses allowed the identification of the consistent QTLs and main candidate genes controlling seed traits. Common beans show wide seed variations in shape, size, water uptake, and coat proportion. This study aimed to identify consistent genomic regions and candidate genes involved in the genetic control of seed traits by combining association and differential expression analyses. In total, 298 lines from the Spanish Diversity Panel were genotyped with 4,658 SNP and phenotyped for seven seed traits in three seasons. Thirty-eight significant SNP-trait associations were detected, which were grouped into 23 QTL genomic regions with 1,605 predicted genes. The positions of the five QTL regions associated with seed weight were consistent with previously reported QTL. HCPC analysis using the SNP that tagged these five QTL regions revealed three main clusters with significantly different seed weights. This analysis also separated groups that corresponded well with the two gene pools described: Andean and Mesoamerican. Expression analysis was performed on the seeds of the cultivar 'Xana' in three seed development stages, and 1,992 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected, mainly when comparing the early and late seed development stages (1,934 DEGs). Overall, 91 DEGs related to cell growth, signaling pathways, and transcriptomic factors underlying these 23 QTL were identified. Twenty-two DEGs were located in the five QTL regions associated with seed weight, suggesting that they are the main set of candidate genes controlling this character. The results confirmed that seed weight is the sum of the effects of a complex network of loci, and contributed to the understanding of seed phenotype control.

SPIRE-a software tool for bicontinuous phase recognition: application for plastid cubic membranes.

Bicontinuous membranes in cell organelles epitomize nature's ability to create complex functional nanostructures. Like their synthetic counterparts, these membranes are characterized by continuous membrane sheets draped onto topologically complex saddle-shaped surfaces with a periodic network-like structure. Their structure sizes, (around 50-500 nm), and fluid nature make transmission electron microscopy (TEM) the analysis method of choice to decipher their nanostructural features. Here we present a tool, Surface Projection Image Recognition Environment (SPIRE), to identify bicontinuous structures from TEM sections through interactive identification by comparison to mathematical "nodal surface" models. The prolamellar body (PLB) of plant etioplasts is a bicontinuous membrane structure with a key physiological role in chloroplast biogenesis. However, the determination of its spatial structural features has been held back by the lack of tools enabling the identification and quantitative analysis of symmetric membrane conformations. Using our SPIRE tool, we achieved a robust identification of the bicontinuous diamond surface as the dominant PLB geometry in angiosperm etioplasts in contrast to earlier long-standing assertions in the literature. Our data also provide insights into membrane storage capacities of PLBs with different volume proportions and hint at the limited role of a plastid ribosome localization directly inside the PLB grid for its proper functioning. This represents an important step in understanding their as yet elusive structure-function relationship.

Growth analysis, photosynthate partition and nodulation in bean and soybean / Análise de crescimento, partição de fotoassimilados e nodulação em feijão e soja

Photoassimilate partition and allocation among plant organs varies throughout their development and is also influenced by factors inherent to the genotype and the environment. Nodulation in the soybean-diazotrophic bacteria interaction is more effective than in the bean-diazotrophic bacteria interaction. This investigation studied growth and photoassimilate partitioning throughout the bean and soybean cycles and inferred how much it could affect the nodulation of the roots. For this purpose, an experiment with two treatments was carried out, soybean (cultivar BRS GO - 7760 - RR) and bean (cultivar BRS Estilo), with four replications, conducted in pots and entirely randomized. The seeds were inoculated with commercial rhizobia specific for bean and soybean LeguMax® (Novozymes-Turfal). Plants were analyzed throughout their cycles based on leaf area and dry mass of all organs, including nodules. Mathematical models were fitted to the data and based on them, the instantaneous physiological indicators of growth were estimated, and the percentages of photoassimilate partition among organs were evaluated. Crop growth rate, relative growth rates, net assimilation rate as well as net photosynthesis rate had higher values in soybean compared to bean, following the pattern of leaf area and total dry mass. For both species, the highest rates occurred at the beginning of the cycle, decreasing with age. Unlike the bean, soybean has a high capacity to supply photosynthates to all of its organs throughout its entire cycle, favoring the maintenance of nodule growth and explaining its greater capacity for nitrogen assimilation.

Durante o desenvolvimento das plantas a partição e alocação de fotoassimilados variam entre os seus órgãos, e dependem de fatores inerentes ao genótipo e ao meio ambiente. A nodulação é mais efetiva na interação soja-bactéria diazotrófica do que na interação feijão-bactéria diazotrófica. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo estudar o crescimento e a partição de fotoassimilados ao longo dos ciclos do feijão e da soja e inferir o quanto isso pode afetar a nodulação das raízes. Para tanto, foi instalado um experimento com dois tratamentos, soja (cultivar BRS GO - 7760 - RR) e feijão comum (cultivar BRS Estilo), com quatro repetições, conduzido em vasos e inteiramente ao acaso. As sementes foram inoculadas com inoculantes comerciais específicos para feijão e soja LeguMax® (Novozymes-Turfal). Plantas foram coletadas ao longo de seus ciclos e medidas as áreas foliares e as massas secas de todos os órgãos, incluindo nódulos. Modelos matemáticos foram ajustados aos dados e, com base neles, foram estimados os indicadores fisiológicos instantâneos do crescimento e, também, foram avaliadas as porcentagens de partição de fotoassimilados entre os órgãos. A taxa de crescimento das culturas (CGR), as taxas de crescimento relativo (RGR), a taxa líquida de assimilação (NAR) e a taxa líquida de fotossíntese (Pn) apresentaram maiores valores na soja em relação ao feijoeiro. Para ambas as culturas as maiores taxas ocorreram no início do ciclo, decrescendo ao longo do ciclo cultural. Diferentemente do feijoeiro a soja tem alta capacidade de suprir de fotoassimilados a todos os seus órgãos ao longo de todo o seu ciclo, o que favorece o maior crescimento dos seus nódulos, justificando a sua maior capacidade na captura do N2 atmosférico.

Bean and Pea Plastoglobules Change in Response to Chilling Stress.

Plastoglobules (PGs) might be characterised as microdomains of the thylakoid membrane that serve as a platform to recruit proteins and metabolites in their spatial proximity in order to facilitate metabolic channelling or signal transduction. This study provides new insight into changes in PGs isolated from two plant species with different responses to chilling stress, namely chilling-tolerant pea (Pisum sativum) and chilling-sensitive bean (Phaseolus coccineus). Using multiple analytical methods, such as high-performance liquid chromatography and visualisation techniques including transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we determined changes in PGs' biochemical and biophysical characteristics as a function of chilling stress. Some of the observed alterations occurred in both studied plant species, such as increased particle size and plastoquinone-9 content, while others were more typical of a particular type of response to chilling stress. Additionally, PGs of first green leaves were examined to highlight differences at this stage of development. Observed changes appear to be a dynamic response to the demands of photosynthetic membranes under stress conditions.

Assessing the effects of a novel biostimulant to enhance leafminer resistance and plant growth on common bean.

The leafminer Liriomyza trifolii is one of the major insects that affect Phaseolus vulgaris production worldwide. Novel and safe biobased stimulator compound (BSTC) with micronutrient-amino acid chelated compounds was developed from natural compounds and was used for foliar spray of P. vulgaris. Treated plants showed significantly increased in quality and productivity as well as significant reduction in leafminer infestation by close the tunnel end resulting in larvae suffocation and death. BSTC contains chemical composition that has important function in inducing immunity and resistance against insects, enhance plant growth and production. Also, HPLC showed that the assembled BSTC is rich in nucleobases than yeast extract (> 56 fold). Aminochelation zinc enhanced the rate of absorption of nutrient compounds and could participate in safe biofortification strategy. The expression of plant defense related genes under BSTC treatment revealed strong correlations between the transcription rates of defense related genes. Based on binding energies and interacting residues of six vital insect proteins, the best-docked complexes was obtained with disodium 5'-inosinate, delphinidin 3-glucoside and hyperoside. Obtained findings indicate that the foliar application of BSTC can enhance plant growth and productivity, uptake of important elements, expression of defense related genes and inhibit insect essential genes.

Morphological, Biochemical, and Proteomic Studies Revealed Impact of Fe and P Crosstalk on Root Development in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Mineral stress is one of the major abiotic stresses faced by crop plants. The present study was undertaken to investigate the impact of mineral stress (iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P)) on various morphological and biochemical responses of the shoot and root tissues and root architecture of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). This study also leads us to the identification of P stress responsive proteins. The study was conducted under in vitro conditions, in which seeds of Shalimar French Bean-1 (SFB-1) variety were cultured on four different MGRL medium (control (P1Fe1), iron deficient (P1Fe0), phosphorus deficient (P0Fe1), and phosphorus and iron deficient (P0Fe0)). Chlorophyll content of leaves, Fe/P content of root tissues, total sugars, proline, length, and weight of shoot and root tissues were assessed and compared within and between the treatments. The analyzed data revealed significant difference between control and other three treatments. Chlorophyll content of shoots was found significantly decreased under mineral stress treatments P0Fe1, P1Fe0, and P0Fe0 than control. Length and weight of shoot and root were also observed significantly decreased under P0Fe1, P1Fe0, and P0Fe0 as compared to control. Total sugar was significantly higher in P0Fe1 of roots in comparison to control. Proline content was significantly higher in both tissues of shoots and roots of plants grown under P1Fe0, P0Fe1, and P0Fe0 than control condition. Furthermore, we unexpectedly observed the recovery of roots (mainly primary roots) under P0Fe0 as compared to P1Fe0 and P0Fe1. Interestingly higher concentration of Fe was also observed in P0Fe1 compared to other treatments and also higher concentration of P was observed in P1Fe1. These findings suggested that there is a crosstalk between Fe and P and also revealed that there is a disruption in the ability of PR (primary root) to sense local P deficiency in the absence of Fe. Furthermore, proteomics analysis (SDS-PAGE followed by MALDI MS) helped in identification of defensive proteins in P stress condition compared to control.

Seed priming with endophytic Bacillus subtilis strain-specifically improves growth of Phaseolus vulgaris plants under normal and salinity conditions and exerts anti-stress effect through induced lignin deposition in roots and decreased oxidative and osmotic damages.

Bacillus subtilis is one of the non-pathogenic beneficial bacteria that promote plant growth and stress tolerance. In the present study, we revealed that seed priming with endophytic B. subtilis (strains 10-4, 26D) improved Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean) seed germination and plant growth under both saline and non-saline conditions. 10-4 and 26D decreased oxidative and osmotic damage to the plant cells since bacterial inoculations reduced lipid peroxidation and proline accumulation in plants under salinity. 26D and especially 10-4 preserved different elevated levels of chlorophyll (Chl) a and Chl b in bean leaves under salinity, while carotenoids (Car) increased only by 10-4 and slightly decreased by 26D. Under normal conditions, 10-4 and 26D did not affect Chl a and Car concentrations, while Chl b decreased in the same plants. Under non-saline and especially saline conditions, 10-4 and 26D significantly increased lignin accumulation in plant roots and the highest lignin content along with better growth and oxidative damages reduction was observed after 10-4 inoculation under salinity, indicating a major role of B. subtilis-induced strengthening the root cell walls in the implementation protective effect of studied bacteria on plants. Therefore, B. subtilis 10-4 and 26D exerts protective effects on the growth of common bean plants under salinity by regulating plant defense mechanisms and the major role in tolerance development may contribute through the activation by B. subtilis lignin deposition in roots. The obtained data also indicates a strain-dependent efficiency of endophytic B. subtilis since strains 10-4 and 26D differently improved growth attributes and modulates cellular response reactions of the same common bean plants both under normal and salinity conditions, that generates interest for further investigations in this direction.

Genome-wide association mapping reveals new loci associated with light-colored seed coat at harvest and slow darkening in carioca beans.

BACKGROUND: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a legume whose grain can be stored for months, a common practice among Brazilian growers. Over time, seed coats become darker and harder to cook, traits that are undesirable to consumers, who associate darker-colored beans with greater age. Like commercial pinto and cranberry bean varieties, carioca beans that have darker seeds at harvest time and after storage are subject to decreased market values. RESULTS: The goal of our study was to identify the genetic control associated with lightness of seed coat color at harvest (HL) and with tolerance to post-harvest seed coat darkening (PHD) by a genome-wide association study. For that purpose, a carioca diversity panel previously validated for association mapping studies was used with 138 genotypes and 1,516 high-quality SNPs. The panel was evaluated in two environments using a colorimeter and the CIELAB scale. Shelf storage for 30 days had the most expressive results and the L* (luminosity) parameter led to the greatest discrimination of genotypes. Three QTL were identified for HL, two on chromosome Pv04 and one on Pv10. Regarding PHD, results showed that genetic control differs for L* after 30 days and for the ΔL* (final L*-initial L*); only ΔL* was able to properly express the PHD trait. Four phenotypic classes were proposed, and five QTL were identified through six significant SNPs. CONCLUSIONS: Lightness of seed coat color at harvest showed an oligogenic inheritance corroborated by moderate broad-sense heritability and high genotypic correlation among the experiments. Only three QTL were significant for this trait - two were mapped on Pv04 and one on Pv10. Considering the ΔL, six QTL were mapped on four different chromosomes for PHD. The same HL QTL at the beginning of Pv10 was also associated with ΔL* and could be used as a tool in marker-assisted selection. Several candidate genes were identified and may be useful to accelerate the genetic breeding process.

Germination of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Seeds after a Short Treatment with a Powerful RF Plasma.

Seeds of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), of the Etna variety, were treated with low-pressure oxygen plasma sustained by an inductively coupled radiofrequency discharge in the H-mode for a few seconds. The high-intensity treatment improved seed health in regard to fungal contamination. Additionally, it increased the wettability of the bean seeds by altering surface chemistry, as established by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and increasing surface roughness, as seen with a scanning electron microscope. The water contact angle at the seed surface dropped to immeasurably low values after a second of plasma treatment. Hydrophobic recovery within a month returned those values to no more than half of the original water contact angle, even for beans treated for the shortest time (0.5 s). Increased wettability resulted in accelerated water uptake. The treatment increased the bean radicle length, which is useful for seedling establishment in the field. These findings confirm that even a brief plasma treatment is a useful technique for the disinfection and stimulation of radicle growth. The technique is scalable to large systems due to the short treatment times.

Beneficial insects are associated with botanically rich margins with trees on small farms.

Beneficial insect communities on farms are influenced by site- and landscape-level factors, with pollinator and natural enemy populations often associated with semi-natural habitat remnants. They provide ecosystem services essential for all agroecosystems. For smallholders, natural pest regulation may be the only affordable and available option to manage pests. We evaluated the beneficial insect community on smallholder bean farms (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and its relationship with the plant communities in field margins, including margin trees that are not associated with forest fragments. Using traps, botanical surveys and transect walks, we analysed the relationship between the floral diversity/composition of naturally regenerating field margins, and the beneficial insect abundance/diversity on smallholder farms, and the relationship with crop yield. More flower visits by potential pollinators and increased natural enemy abundance measures in fields with higher plant, and particularly tree, species richness, and these fields also saw improved crop yields. Many of the flower visitors to beans and potential natural enemy guilds also made use of non-crop plants, including pesticidal and medicinal plant species. Selective encouragement of plants delivering multiple benefits to farms can contribute to an ecological intensification approach. However, caution must be employed, as many plants in these systems are introduced species.

A methyl esterase 1 (PvMES1) promotes the salicylic acid pathway and enhances Fusarium wilt resistance in common beans.

KEY MESSAGE: Methyl esterase (MES), PvMES1, contributes to the defense response toward Fusarium wilt in common beans by regulating the salicylic acid (SA) mediated signaling pathway from phenylpropanoid synthesis and sugar metabolism as well as others. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important food legume. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli is one of the most serious soil-borne diseases of common bean found throughout the world and affects the yield and quality of the crop. Few sources of Fusarium wilt resistance exist in legumes and most are of quantitative inheritance. In this study, we have identified a methyl esterase (MES), PvMES1, that contributes to plant defense response by regulating the salicylic acid (SA) mediated signaling pathway in response to Fusarium wilt in common beans. The result showed the role of PvMES1 in regulating SA levels in common bean and thus the SA signaling pathway and defense response mechanism in the plant. Overexpression of the PvMES1 gene enhanced Fusarium wilt resistance; while silencing of the gene caused susceptibility to the diseases. RNA-seq analysis with these transiently modified plants showed that genes related to SA level changes included the following gene ontologies: (a) phenylpropanoid synthesis; (b) sugar metabolism; and (c) interaction between host and pathogen as well as others. These key signal elements activated the defense response pathway in common bean to Fusarium wilt. Collectively, our findings indicate that PvMES1 plays a pivotal role in regulating SA biosynthesis and signaling, and increasing Fusarium wilt resistance in common bean, thus providing novel insight into the practical applications of both SA and MES genes and pathways they contribute to for developing elite crop varieties with enhanced broad-spectrum resistance to this critical disease.

Genetic Diversity and Characterization of Symbiotic Bacteria Isolated from Endemic Phaseolus Cultivars Located in Contrasting Agroecosystems in Venezuela.

Phaseolus vulgaris is a grain cultivated in vast areas of different countries. It is an excellent alternative to the other legumes in the Venezuelan diet and is of great agronomic interest due to its resistance to soil acidity, drought, and high temperatures. Phaseolus establishes symbiosis primarily with Rhizobium and Ensifer species in most countries, and this rhizobia-legume interaction has been studied in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. However, there is currently no evidence to show that rhizobia nodulate the endemic cultivars of P. vulgaris in Venezuela. Therefore, we herein investigated the phylogenetic diversity of plant growth-promoting and N2-fixing nodulating bacteria isolated from the root nodules of P. vulgaris cultivars in a different agroecosystem in Venezuela. In comparisons with other countries, higher diversity was found in isolates from P. vulgaris nodules, ranging from α- and ß-proteobacteria. Some isolates belonging to several new phylogenetic lineages within Bradyrhizobium, Ensifer, and Mesorhizobium species were also specifically isolated at some topographical regions. Additionally, some isolates exhibited tolerance to high temperature, acidity, alkaline pH, salinity stress, and high Al levels; some of these characteristics may be related to the origin of the isolates. Some isolates showed high tolerance to Al toxicity as well as strong plant growth-promoting and antifungal activities, thereby providing a promising agricultural resource for inoculating crops.

Genome-wide association study for grain mineral content in a Brazilian common bean diversity panel.

KEY MESSAGE: QTNs significantly associated to nine mineral content in grains of common bean were identified. The accumulation of favorable alleles was associated with a gradually increasing nutrient content in the grain. Biofortification is one of the strategies developed to address malnutrition in developing countries, the aim of which is to improve the nutritional content of crops. The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), a staple food in several African and Latin American countries, has excellent nutritional attributes and is considered a strong candidate for biofortification. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with nutritional content in common bean grains using 178 Mesoamerican accessions belonging to a Brazilian Diversity Panel (BDP) and 25,011 good-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms. The BDP was phenotyped in three environments for nine nutrients (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, manganese, sulfur, zinc, and iron) using four genome-wide association multi-locus methods. To obtain more accurate results, only quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) that showed repeatability (i.e., those detected at least twice using different methods or environments) were considered. Forty-eight QTNs detected for the nine minerals showed repeatability and were considered reliable. Pleiotropic QTNs and overlapping genomic regions surrounding the QTNs were identified, demonstrating the possible association between the deposition mechanisms of different nutrients in grains. The accumulation of favorable alleles in the same accession was associated with a gradually increasing nutrient content in the grain. The BDP proved to be a valuable source for association studies. The investigation of different methods and environments showed the reliability of markers associated with minerals. The loci identified in this study will potentially contribute to the improvement of Mesoamerican common beans, particularly carioca and black beans, the main groups consumed in Brazil.

Comparative Study between Exogenously Applied Plant Growth Hormones versus Metabolites of Microbial Endophytes as Plant Growth-Promoting for Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Microbial endophytes organize symbiotic relationships with the host plant, and their excretions contain diverse plant beneficial matter such as phytohormones and bioactive compounds. In the present investigation, six bacterial and four fungal strains were isolated from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) root plant, identified using molecular techniques, and their growth-promoting properties were reviewed. All microbial isolates showed varying activities to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and different hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and xylanase. Six bacterial endophytic isolates displayed phosphate-solubilizing capacity and ammonia production. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate the promotion activity of the metabolites of the most potent endophytic bacterial (Bacillus thuringiensis PB2 and Brevibacillus agri PB5) and fungal (Alternaria sorghi PF2 and, Penicillium commune PF3) strains in comparison to two exogenously applied hormone, IAA, and benzyl adenine (BA), on the growth and biochemical characteristics of the P. vulgaris L. Interestingly, our investigations showed that bacterial and fungal endophytic metabolites surpassed the exogenously applied hormones in increasing the plant biomass, photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrate and protein contents, antioxidant enzyme activity, endogenous hormones and yield traits. Our findings illustrate that the endophyte Brevibacillus agri (PB5) provides high potential as a stimulator for the growth and productivity of common bean plants.

Evaluation of Chalcone Derivatives as Photosynthesis and Plant Growth Inhibitors.

We report the evaluation of chalcone derivatives as photosystem II (PSII) and plant growth inhibitors. Chalcone derivatives were evaluated as PSII inhibitors through Chl a fluorescence measurement. (E)-Chalcone (6a) and (E)-3-(4-bromophenyl)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (6j) showed the best results, reducing the performance index on absorption basis parameter (PIabs ) by 70 %. Additionally, the decrease of TR0 /RC and ET0 /RC parameters indicates that the chalcone derivatives limited the number of active PSII reaction centers and the amount of trapped energy within them. Compounds 6a and 6j both act as post-emergent herbicides at 50 µM, reducing the root biomass of the Ipomoea grandifolia weed by 72 % and 83 %, respectively, corroborating the fluorescence results. The selectivity against weeds as compared to valuable crops by compounds 6a and 6j were evaluated employing Zea mays and Phaseolus vulgaris plants. In these, our newly synthesized compounds showed no effects on biomass accumulation of roots and aerial parts when compared to the control, providing valuable evidence for the role of these compounds as selective inhibitors of the growth of undesired weeds.

Physiological and genetic characterization of heat stress effects in a common bean RIL population.

Heat stress is a major abiotic stress factor reducing crop productivity and climate change models predict increasing temperatures in many production regions. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important crop for food security in the tropics and heat stress is expected to cause increasing yield losses. To study physiological responses and to characterize the genetics of heat stress tolerance, we evaluated the recombinant inbred line (RIL) population IJR (Indeterminate Jamaica Red) x AFR298 of the Andean gene pool. Heat stress (HS) conditions in the field affected many traits across the reproductive phase. High nighttime temperatures appeared to have larger effects than maximum daytime temperatures. Yield was reduced compared to non-stress conditions by 37% and 26% in 2016 and 2017 seasons, respectively. The image analysis tool HYRBEAN was developed to evaluate pollen viability (PolVia). A significant reduction of PolVia was observed in HS and higher viability was correlated with yield only under stress conditions. In susceptible lines the reproductive phase was extended and defects in the initiation of seed, seed fill and seed formation were identified reducing grain quality. Higher yields under HS were correlated with early flowering, high pollen viability and effective seed filling. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis revealed a QTL for both pod harvest index and PolVia on chromosome Pv05, for which the more heat tolerant parent IJR contributed the positive allele. Also, on chromosome Pv08 a QTL from IJR improved PolVia and the yield component pods per plant. HS affected several traits during the whole reproductive development, from floral induction to grain quality traits, indicating a general heat perception affecting many reproductive processes. Identification of tolerant germplasm, indicator traits for heat tolerance and molecular tools will help to breed heat tolerant varieties to face future climate change effects.