Genetics of the concentration of copper in common bean seeds

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important source of copper in human nutrition. The objective of this research was to investigate the possible maternal effects on copper concentrations in the seeds of the common bean, to estimate the heritability and the selection gains in early hybrid generations for the characteristic of copper concentration and to evaluate the potential for genetic improvement. The controlled crossings were performed among IAPAR 44 x IAPAR 31 and Diamante Negro x TPS Bonito cultivars. The reciprocal F-1, and F-2 generations, as well as the backcross populations, were produced by each hybrid combination. The range of variation in the copper concentration among the tested progenies was from 1.07 to 7.75 mg kg(-1) dry matter, and no significant maternal effect was discovered. A narrow-sense heritability was of an intermediate (51.98%) to high (61.99%) value. A 46.78% increase in the copper concentration was obtained in the seeds using only the four parents tested in this study.