Selection of parents and segregating populations of common bean with high agronomic potential and slow seed-coat darkening

ABSTRACT Choosing parents and segregating populations are fundamental steps for the success in plant breeding. For the common bean crop, the development of genotypes that combine favorable agronomic traits and seed quality may increase the chances of adopting new cultivars. This study aimed to select promising parents and segregating populations to develop slow seed-coat darkening lines, together with high grain yield, lodging tolerance and short seed cooking time after storage, as well as to investigate the relationship between seed-coat darkening and seed cooking time after storage. Twenty segregating populations (F3, F4 and F5 generations) and their parents were evaluated. The sum of ranks index for combined traits was used in the selection of superior populations. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between seed-coat darkening and cooking time after storage were estimated. Among the parents, the BRSMG Madrepérola cultivar was the most promising to generate lines with seed-coat darkening. The superior populations were BRSMG Madrepérola x IPR Saracura, BRSMG Madrepérola x BRS Sublime, BRSMG Madrepérola x BRS Estilo and BRSMG Madrepérola x BRS Notável. A linear relationship was not found between seed-coat darkening and seed cooking time after storage, indicating that the first trait is not an adequate indicator to infer about seed cooking time