DESCRIPTION

The common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a diploid annual species and is predominantly self-pollinating. Common bean consists of two major gene pools, Mesoamerican and Andean, characterized by partial reproductive isolation, that include wild populations and cultivated varieties. The common bean is the third most important food legume crop worldwide, surpassed only by soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and peanut ( Arachis hypogea L.). Among the main food crops, the common bean shows the greatest variation in growth habit, seed characteristics (size, shape and colour) and maturation time. This variability enables its production in a wide range of cropping systems and environments as diverse as the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, China and Europe.