Joint NSF/ERA-CAPS: Collaborative Research: BEAN-ADAPT - Genetic Architecture of Rapid Evolutionary Adaptation to Changing Environments in Domesticated Phaseolus Bean Species

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PIs: Paul L. Gepts (University of California-Davis) and Scott A. Jackson (University of Georgia)ERA-CAPS Collaborators: Roberto Papa (Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Italy), Alisdair R. Fernie (Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Germany), and Andreas Graner (Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Germany)Worldwide, legumes serve an important nutritional role as a source of protein, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibers, and their ability to fix nitrogen (i.e. convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form that can be used by the plant) makes legumes natural contributors to sustainable agriculture. As domesticated crops, legumes have adapted to growth in many different environments, but the genetic basis for such adaptation is largely unknown. This project will take advantage of large gene bank collections of two legume species, common bean and runner bean, to discover the genes responsible for adaptation to new, changing, and variable environments. The results will allow better use of the genetic resources represented by these gene banks for improvement of legume crops. The project will include collaborators in the U.S., Colombia, Italy and Germany. Exchanges of students among the participating research groups will offer opportunities to learn new techniques and integrate information across the coordinating research efforts. In addition, outreach to undergraduates from the Southwest U.S. will provide exposure to hands-on research experiences in plant genomics. In this project, multi-location, multi-year field evaluations of large gene bank collections will be combined with high-throughput genomic tools to understand the genetic basis of adaptation in the legumes common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and runner bean (P. coccineus). Approximately 10,000 common bean and 1,000 runner bean accessions will be genotyped using a DNA sequencing approach and tested in contrasting environments and conditions in Europe (higher latitude) and South America (near the Equator) to associate genes with adaptation to environmental variables, such as day length, temperature, altitude, and rainfall. The two Phaseolus species have contrasting life histories, reproductive systems, and population structures, providing an opportunity to compare different adaptation paths. Sequence information will be complemented with transcriptomic and metabolomics profiling on a select subset of accessions to produce datasets that will be used to build models of how common bean adapted to new environments after its dispersal from two domestication centers in Mesoamerica and the Southern Andes. Prospectively, this information will be useful for developing new crop varieties adapted to changing or variable environments.