Molecular markers used in organic bean breeding

Summary

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) can improve the efficiency and precision of organic common bean breeding by helping breeders identify desirable traits such as disease resistance, stress tolerance, earliness and seed quality at an early stage. KIS research shows that MAS is particularly useful for traits that are difficult or costly to evaluate in the field. When combined with phenotypic selection and genetic diversity analysis, molecular markers can support the development of resilient and diverse organic cultivars while remaining compatible with organic breeding principles, since they are used only as diagnostic tools and do not modify the plant genome.