Developing beans that can beat the heat
This document (PDF) by CIAT/CGAIR, reports findings from research conducted over the last year on heat tolerance in selected bean lines and show their potential for adapting bean production in Africa and Latin America to future climate change impacts. The paper highlights that high temperatures will become limiting for common bean, especially Latin America is susceptible. Results suggest that from a crop suitability perspective, enhancing the capacity of common bean to resist high temperatures is a very promising adaptation strategy globally. CIAT researchers have identified elite bean lines showing tolerance to temperatures 4 degrees Centigrade above the crop’s normal “comfort zone.” Many of these lines come from wide crosses between common and tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius), a species originating in the arid US Southwest and northwestern Mexico.