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Tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) are considered drought and heat tolerant, desirable characteristics for arid regions. Knowing the genetic distances among tepary lines can indicate both compatibility for intraspecific crosses and potential for Interspecific P. acutifolius × P. vulgaris hybrids. Fifteen tepary lines, including cultivars and landraces, were compared to two pinto bean varieties using random amplified polymorphic DNA's (RAPDs). At the present time polymorphisms have been clearly identified between wild and cultivated teparies and the pinto bean. An ammo acid profile is also being determined using HPLC. More work needs to be completed before relationships among cultivated teparies can be established.
Tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) are native to north America and are considered drought and heat tolerant. Teparies are not commonly grown commercially, so little is known about their field performance. This study compared agronomic traits of 19 tepary bean lines to two pinto bean (P. vulgaris) varieties. The beans were evaluated under field conditions in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Traits examined included time to germinate, time to first trifoliate leaf, time to flower, height, seed protein content, and yield. Tepary yields ranged from 1593.0 to 656.4 kg/ha with three lines averaging 63.7 to 76.8% more than the average pinto bean yield. Tepary protein content ranged from 17.1 to 29.7% and averaged 24.7%. Tepary beans have great potential for adaptation to dry conditions while producing adequate yields and protein content.