Breeding beans for nutritional quality,
drought tolerance and productivity in
Kenya
Paul Kimani1, A. Warsame1, P. K. Waidhima2, M. Njiru2 and J.W.
Mwangi1
1Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection,
College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi
2 Trufoods Ltd
Nairobi, Kenya
First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference
United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-ECA)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

Contents
• The Hidden Hunger problem
• Objectives & Strategy
• Population development and Selection
• Results highlights
• Future Directions
• Acknowledgements
2

The ‘Hidden Hunger’ problem
• Micronutrient deficiency affects over 2 billion people in the world
• Serious health challenge affecting vast areas of Africa- mainly resource poor
women and children
• Fe, Zn, protein and Vitamin A deficiencies most frequent
• Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) prevalence :
– Eastern/Southern Africa: 6- 88%
– West/Central Africa: 7-58%
– Lowest: 8 % Ethiopia
– Highest: 67% Tanzania, 69% Burundi and 88% in Malawi
(IDRC, 2001)
• Biofortified cultivars are probably the most effective, sustainable
and potentially long-lasting strategy for reducing micronutrient
deficiencies in Africa
– Breeding programs can introduce and disseminate new bean cultivars with
natural ability to concentrate high iron and zinc in their seeds to ensure:
 Regular access
 Low cost
 Sustainable
 Main demerit: cost of cultivar development
3

Objectives & Strategy
Goal: Contribute to reduction in micronutrient malnutrition (‘hidden hunger)
in SSA which affects more than 2 billion people world wide
Objectives:
• Transfer high Fe , Zn trait to commercial cultivars and landraces
• Combine with resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses: root rots,
angular leaf spot, anthracnose, bean common mosaic virus, common
bacterial blight, drought tolerance and canning quality
Strategy:
• Crosses among mineral dense lines and sources of resistance to biotic
and abiotic stresses with commercial cultivars
Mineral x (biotic/abiotic x commercial cultivars)
• Screen for high mineral density in advanced lines and populations
segregating for resistance to multiple resistance to biotic and abiotic
stress factors and farmer/consumer preferred traits
4

Population development & Selection
• 47 Population Bulks advanced to F4 generation
• Fe & Zn Mineral analysis
2009-2010 • Disease screening
F1-F4
• LR 2011: Disease screening & SPS
• SR 2011: Drought evaluation at Kabete Field Station
2011
F5-F6
• LR 2012: Drought testing under stress and non-stress
2012 conditions at Kabete and Thika
• SR 2012: AYT at Kabete, Thika, Meru, Nakuru and Tigoni
F7-F8
5

New F2 and F3 Populations
Cross No of F2 and F3 • KAB – single and double cross
Populations male gametes with genes for:
– Resistance to biotic stresses
MLB 49 89A X KAB 31 10 – Drought
Maharagi Soja x KAB 22 7 – Growth habit
Nakaja X KAB 21
– Tolerance to low soil fertility
8
– Commercial grain types
AND 620 x KAB 29 6 • Fe & Zn sources- 2800 landraces,
Simama x KAB 15 7 accessions, varieties, breeding lines
screened for Fe & Zn (2001-2008)
Gofta x KAB 36 9 – AND 620 and Maharagi Soja had the
highest Fe concentration across
TOTAL 47 locations and seasons (>70ppm)
– VNB 81010 had the highest Zn
KAB male gametic combinations- 39 concentration in all test sites and
seasons (>35 ppm)
6

47 New Biofort populations with Multiple Stress resistance
Cross
No Genotype
advanced to F4 generation at Kabete
Pedigree
Stand at Yield
harvest /plot [g]
1639 MLB 49/89A x KAB 44 MLB 49/89A (CANADIAN WONDER x MEX 54)F1 // (CANADIAN WONDER x VUNINKINGI)F1 46 393.26
1640 GOFTA x KAB 37 GOFTA (LYAMUNGU 85 x RWR 719)//(LYAMUNGU 85x SCAM 80CM/15) F1 x UMUBANO) 34 328.69
GOFTA (SELIAN 97 x MEX 54//SELIAN 97 x VUNINKINGI)FI x (SELIAN 97 x VUNINKINGI//SELIAN
1641 GOFTA x KAB 49 97 x RWR 719)F1 31 230.82
1642 SIMAMA x KAB 48 SIMAMA (CANADIAN WONDER x MEX 54 // CANADIAN WONDER X VUNINKINI)F1 x AND 1055) 34 156.89
1643 AND 620 x KAB 27 AND 620 (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x MEX 54)F1 x RWR 719) 46 349.39
1644 AND 620 x KAB 25 AND 620 (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x RWR 719)F1 x MEX 54) 44 442.44
1645 AND 620 x KAB 48 AND 620 (CANADIAN WONDER / MEX 54 x AND 1062)F1 x UMUBANO) 60 334.87
1646 MLB 49/89A x KAB 29 MLB 49/89A (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)F1 xAND 1062) x MEX 54) 30 116.36
1647 GOFTA x KAB 25 GOFTA (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x RWR 719)F1 x MEX 54) 41 206.32
1648 NAKAJA x KAB 27 NAKAJA (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x MEX 54)F1 x RWR 719) 66 387.25
1650 MLB 49/89A x KAB 30 MLB 49/89A (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)F1 x ( MEX 54 x G5686)F1 41 180.65
1652 NAKAJA x KAB 30 NAKAJA (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)F1 x ( MEX 54 x G5686)F1 38 376.23
1653 GOFTA x KAB 26 GOFTA (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x MEX 54)F1 x AND 1055) 37 243.86
1654 GOFTA x KAB 30 GOFTA (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)F1 x ( MEX 54 x G5686)F1 39 284.08
1655 MLB 49/89A x KAB 37 MLB 49/89A (LYAMUNGU 85 x RWR 719)//(LYAMUNGU 85x SCAM 80CM/15) F1 x MEX 54) 36 302.95
1656 MLB 49/89A x KAB 31 MLB 49/89A (LYAMUNGU 85 x VININKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85x SCAM 80CM/15) F1 x MEX 54) 45 388.34
SIMAMA (SELIAN 97 x MEX 54//SELIAN 97 x VUNINKINGI)FI x (SELIAN 97 x
1658 SIMAMA x KAB 49 VUNINKINGI//SELIAN 97 x RWR 719)F1 30 223.08
1660 MLB 49/98A x KAB 15 MLB 49/89A (GLP 2 x VUNINKINGI)F1 x (GLP 2 x MEX 54)F1 40 341.15
1661 MLB 49/98A x KAB 27 MLB 49/89A (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x MEX 54)F1 x RWR 719) 30 251.54
1662 NAKAJA x KAB 36 NAKAJA (LYAMUNGU 85 x RWR 719)//(LYAMUNGU 85x SCAM 80CM/15) F1 x UMUBANO) 41 337.78
1663 GOFTA x KAB 48 GOFTA/[ (CANADIAN WONDER / MEX 54 x AND 1062)F1 x UMUBANO) * *
1664 SIMAMA x KAB 35 SIMAMA (LYAMUNGU 85 x UMUBANO)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x MEX 54)F1 x RWR 719) 26 162.78
1665 G 2333 x G 10474 G 2333 x G 10474 * *
AND 620 (SELIAN 97 x MEX 54//SELIAN 97 x VUNINKINGI)FI x (SELIAN 97 x
1666 AND 620 x KAB 49 VUNINKINGI//SELIAN 97 x RWR 719)F1 49 246.19
SIMAMA (SELIAN 97 x MEX 54//SELIAN 97 x VUNINKINGI)FI x (SELIAN 97 x
1667 SIMAMA x KAB 49 VUNINKINGI//SELIAN 97 x RWR 719)F1 19 149.76
1668 MLB 49/89A x KAB 35 MLB 49/89A (LYAMUNGU 85 x UMUBANO)//(LYAMUNGU 85 x MEX 54)F1 x RWR 719) 28 146.38
1669 MLB 49/89A x KAB 48 MLB 49/89A (CANADIAN WONDER / MEX 54 x AND 1062)F1 x UMUBANO) 23 119.55
1670 NAKAJA x KAB 30 NAKAJA (LYAMUNGU 85 x VUNINKINGI)F1 x ( MEX 54 x G5686)F1 30 277.57
1671 NAKAJA x KAB 22 NAKAJA (LYAMUNGU 85 x RWR 719) F1//(LYAMUNGU 85x SCAM 80CM/15) F1 23 187.82
1673 AND 620 x BRB 85 AND 620 x BRB 85 42 231.53
AND 620 (SELIAN 97 x MEX 54//SELIAN 97 x VUNINKINGI)FI x (SELIAN 97 x
1674 AND 620 x KAB 49 VUNINKINGI//SELIAN 97 x RWR 719)F1 38 149.5

Variation for Fe & Zn in early generations
Population/ Fe (ppm) Zn (ppm) Protein
male gamete (%)
KAB 2 30-105 10-40 18-26
KAB 5 55-125 10-35 19-24
KAB 6 30-130 10-55 17-24
KAB 10 30-115 10-45 19-28
KAB 11 40-115 10-40 20-28
KAB 12 35-100 10-40 19-24
KAB 13 50-115 10-60 21-29
Mineral analyses
•Wet digestion (perchloric acid and nitric acid digestion)
•AAS mineral determination

Five New populations were outstanding for vigour, drought
tolerance and yield potential
Fig 1. Mean grain yield of F7 lines from population BF08-01 grown at Thika
and Kabete, LR 2012
4000
3536 3562
3412 3338 3315
3500 3197
3110 3082 3016
2991
3000 2820
2523
2500
kg ha-1
2000 1707
1581
1500 1245 1297 1235
1000
500
0
Line/Genotype
9

BF08-03
Fig 1. Mean grain yield of the top F7 lines from population BF08-03 grown at
Thika and Kabete, LR 2012
3500
3076 3011 3007 2961
3000 2832
2746 2730
2538 2468
Grain yield kg ha-1
2500
2000
1707
1581
1500 1297
1245 1235
1000
500
0
Line/Genotype
10

BF08-07
Fig 3. Mean grain yield of the top F7 lines from population BF08-07 grown at
Thika and Kabete, LR 2012
5000
4577 4543
4336 4369
4500
3980
4000 3741 3845
3556
Yield , kg ha-1
3500 3306
3079 3018
3000 2635
2500
2000 1707
1581
1500 1245 1297 1235
1000
500
0
Line/Genotype
11

BF08-13
Fig 4. Mean grain yield of the top F7 lines from population BF08-13 grown at Thika and
Kabete, LR 2012
4000
3500 3291
3162
Yield, kg ha-1
3043 3077
3000 2833 2833 2784
2499
2500
2000 1707
1581
1500 1245 1297 1235
1000
500
0
Line/Genotype
12

BF08-16
Fig 4. Mean grain yield of the top F7 lines from population BF08-16 grown at Thika and
Kabete, LR 2012
4000
3411
3500
3103 3090 3062
2870 2920 2837
3000 2817
2652 2574 2568
2464 2407
2500
Yield, kg ha-1
2000
1707
1581
1500 1245 1297 1235
1000
500
0
Line/Genotype
13

Outstanding lines were evaluated in Advanced Yield Trials during SR 2012
AYT, Thika 30 Nov 2012
AYT, Meru
1 Dec 2012

New Biofort Lines at Kabete Field Station, 20 Feb 2013
15

Future Directions
New dry bean varieties meant for canning should possess good canning qualities while ensuring uniform and complete water uptake in order to prevent
• Validate Nutritional value (micronutrients) of the
new drought tolerant, disease resistant and high
yielding Second Generation Biofort lines
- Select >90 ppm Fe and >35 ppm Zn
- First generation Biofort >70 ppm Fe and 30 ppm Zn released
• Evaluate cooking time, water absorption and canning
quality
• Submit for National Performance Trials –for
validation and formal release
• Produce certified seed and disseminate with partners
16

Acknowledgements
• Governments of Kenya and
Sweden
• University of Nairobi
• Bean Program Technical staff
• TRUFOODS LTD
• BioInnovate/SIDA
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Farmer Groups PVS for drought tolerant canning beans in Mwea

THANK YOU