01778naa a2200157 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000150006024500560007526000090013152013470014065000120148765000140149965300110151377300960152416243462003-07-11       1988    bl ---       0--  u    #d1 aVIEIRA, C.  aPhaseolus genetic resources and breeding in Brazil.  c1988  aBeans (Phaseolus vulgaris) constitute one of the most basic foods and sources of vegetable protein for the Brazilian population. About 5 million hectares of dry beans (principally P. vulgaris, but also Vigna unguiculata) are planted annually in Brazll. The national mean yield is about 450 kg/ha. Most of the production is obtained in associated cropping. Hundreds of common bean cultivars are cultivated, representing principally the following commercial. types: a) small-seeded black, huff, purple, brown, "carioca" (buff with brown stripes) , rose-colored, and yellow; b) large-seeded white, yellow, and buff with or without reddish spots. Consumer preference varies geographically. Genotypic mixtures are common. Local germplasm is beíng collected and stored in Brasilia in the national germplasm bank, together with introduced materials, under long-term storage conditions. Resistance to diseases and insects, adaptation to soils wlth low pH and problems of aluminum toxicity, better plant architecture, droughs tolerance, earliness, cold tolerance, adaptation to associated cropping, and higher productivity are the most common objectives of national, state, and university breeding programs. Many new cultivars have been released. Lima bean (P. lunatus) is planted throughout the country, but has little commercial importance to date.  aFeijão  aGenética  aBrasil  tGEPTS, P., (Ed.). Genetic resources of Phaseolus beans. New York: Kluwer, 1988. p. 467-483.