Abstract:
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) is the most important food legume consumed worldwide (Miklas et al., 2006) and an important source of human dietary protein, calories, vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy community. Molecular marker-assisted selection, often simply referred to as marker-assisted selection involves selection of plants carrying genomic regions that are involved in the expression of traits of interest through molecular markers. With the development and availability of an array of molecular markers and dense molecular genetic maps in crop plants, MAS has become possible for traits both governed by major genes as well as quantitative trait loci. The potential benefits of using markers linked to genes of interest in breeding programme, thus moving from phenotype based towards genotype-based selection, have been obvious for many decades.
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