Scientists have produced 30 new varieties of heat resistant beans that are capable of surviving the impending climate change of the near future.
Beans are a major source of food in many parts of the world such as Africa and Latin America. Beans are also an important source of proteins and vitamins and often referred to as the meat of the poor. Beans are consumed by more than 400 million people across the world but scientists suggest that the suitable area for growing meat may reduce by 50 percent by 2050.
The temperature needed for growing beans should not be very hot. However, global warming has resulted in climate change and increase in temperature in many parts of the world. If the production of beans is hindered, it may affect the lives of millions of people around the world.
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, along with plant breeders have identified 30 types of beans that can stand high temperatures. The advancement is very significant as it may save the decline of beans in the near term.
The CIAT group examined over 1,000 varieties of beans stored in the gene banks. The scientists cross-bred common beans including pinto beans, kidney beans and black beans with tepary beans. The tepary beans are normally grown in the southwest of the U.S. and in parts of Northern Mexico, which are not ideal for farming. These beans can easily get soil infection; however, they are capable of resisting heat and drought.
Stephen Beebe, a plant breeder who led the research, explains that beans normally require temperature of 18 degrees Celsius to 19 degrees Celsius in the night to grow properly. The production may fail if temperatures increase in the night.
The research involved planting 1,000 samples in two regions where the night temperature did not fall less than 23 degree Celsius. Scientists found that only 30 types of beans coped up with the high temperature and most of these beans had tepary as a parent. Scientists conclude that the DNA of tepary beans helps the plant to grow in high temperature.
"The release of heat-tolerant bean cultivars should help farmers to cope with anticipated changes in the climate," says James Beaver, a plant breeder at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez.
While the results are promising, more research is needed before these beans can be made available to farmers.
Photo: Cleide Isabel | Flickr
