Plant & Animal Genomes XVII Conference

January 10-14, 2009
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Genomics In Common Bean: Leveraging The Soybean Genome For Bean Improvement

Scott A. Jackson , Jessica Schlueter , Phil McClean , Paul Gepts , Matthew Blair , Eduardo Vallejos

  Purdue University, 915 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an important food source in Central and South America and in Africa. We have developed a set of genomic resources for Phaseolus that will help to 1) develop genetic markers for enhance breeding and 2) assist in the sequencing of the Phaseolus genome. These resources include a genetically integrated physical map of the genome that can facilitate gene cloning and identifying/tracking alien segments and a set of BAC end sequences (BES) that are being used to develop more genetic markers for breeding. From the BES, we have identified a set of SSRs that are being mapped by several international groups. Comparative sequencing of Phaseolus and soybean has revealed extensive gene conservation between orthologous genomics regions. This bodes well for utilizing the soybean genome for gene cloning and targeted marker development. In summary, we have developed a set of tools that can enable genomics assisted breeding in common bean that leverages the recent soybean genome sequence.