Development of genomic tools to accelerate adzuki breeding for premium quality

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Adzuki (Vigna angularis) is a valuable legume grown in Canada for export to Asia, where it is primarily used to produce bean paste for sweet buns and cakes. Adzuki bean exporters, including our co-operator, Hensall District Co-operative, are interested in providing premium quality beans to these markets. The highest priced beans in Japanese markets are large and pale-red in colour. Ontario adzuki beans are almost exclusively of the variety Erimo, which has an ideal paste making composition, but has small, dark red seeds. **The challenge for global crop production is the need to produce more food on the same amount of land to meet the needs of the increasing population. For plant breeding programs this means meeting a continually rising yield bar. New methods are required to maintain the current rate of genetic improvement. The "omics" revolution in biology will be an important part of any strategy for achieving sustainable increases in bean productivity and quality. Until recently, molecular genetic studies of adzuki bean traits have been hampered by a paucity of DNA sequence data. This changed dramatically with the publication of the complete genome sequences for several cultivated and wild accessions.**The goals of the proposed work are to: 1) breed high-yielding adzuki varieties with large, pale-coloured seeds and excellent paste making qualities, and 2) develop molecular markers and genetic information on adzuki colour and quality characteristics. The work will provide unique germplasm and the tools needed to increase the speed and precision of breeding superior adzuki bean varieties suited for production in Canada that command premium prices in international markets. ****