Development and Evaluation of NSIC-Approved Improved Varieties of Bush and Pole Snap Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) for Commercialization in Northern Philippines

Abstract

Snap bean is an important vegetable legume in the Northern Philippines. To meet the demands of snap bean farmers and consumers for better commercial varieties, the snap bean breeding program team has continued developing and identifying at the BSU-IPB Highland Crops Research Station (HCRS), accessions and advanced breeding lines as promising varieties not only for the highlands but also for the mid-elevation areas and lowlands. These improved materials were evaluated to identify new improved varieties that are high-yielding, have better resistance to major pests and diseases and with good pod qualities. This resulted in the selection and identification of nine pole snap bean and seven bush snap bean improved varieties with higher yield and better horticultural characteristics than the traditional commercial varieties. All of them were evaluated further in multi-location field trials from 2005-2014 that led to official approval and registration of seven improved varieties of pole snap bean and three new improved varieties of bush snap bean for regional commercialization by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry-National Seed Industry Council (DA-BPI-NSIC) in November 2008(2), 2009(3), 2014(4) and 2015(1). They were NSIC 2008 PSnBn 1 “Kapangan”, NSIC 2008 PSnBn 2 “Mabunga”, NSIC 2009 PSnBn 3 “Tublay, NSIC 2014 PSnBn 4 “Itogon”, NSIC 2014 PSnBn 5 “Kibungan”, NSIC2014 PSnBn 6 “Tuba”, and NSIC 2014 PSnBn 7 “Wangal” pole snap bean varieties; and NSIC2009BSnBn 1 “Sablan”, NSIC 2009 BSnBn 2 “Bokod” and 2015 BSnBn “Cali” bush snap bean. A Certificate of Registration for commercialization of each variety in the Northern Philippine Highland was given.