March 9, 2000
The Agricultural Experiment Station at North Dakota State University is stopping the seed distribution and further increase of the navy bean cultivar Commander which it released in January. While recently evaluating a Foundation seed lot grown in 1999 in central Washington, NDSU's dry bean breeder Ken Grafton discovered that some Commander seed exhibited a non-intact seed coat.
"This characteristic was not identified during the development of the variety in North Dakota," Grafton says."If it had been identified, the line never would have been released."
The non-intact seed coat, termed "fishmouth," is a trait that is greatly influenced by the environment, especially when stresses occur during late seed fill, Grafton explains. Some genotypes are predisposed to exhibit this defect, but the proper environment must occur for the defect to be expressed and identified. The trait may not be expressed in most years, but it could negatively impact dry bean growers in the region if it were to occur. When processed, the affected seeds would produce a poorer quality product.
The decision to discontinue distribution and increase of Commander was made to safeguard the reputation of the North Dakota-Minnesota region with respect to its ability to produce high-quality dry beans, says Al Schneiter, chair of the NDSU Department of Plant Sciences. Along with Grafton and Schneiter, Cole Gustafson, NDSU's associate dean for agricultural research, was involved in making the decision.
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Sources: Ken Grafton (701) 231-8145
Al Schneiter (701) 231-8137
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136