Researcher develops dwarf green beans suitable for growing without trellis
The two new dwarf varieties have been created by Prof Dr AKM Aminul Islam of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University
Growing green beans without the support of trellises remained unimaginable for a long time. But recently, a professor from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) has developed two dwarf varieties of green beans that can be grown without the support of trellises.
The two new dwarf varieties – BU Dwarf Bean 8 and BU Dwarf Bean 9 – have been developed by Dr AKM Aminul Islam, professor and director (Research) of the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding at BSMRAU.
According to Aminul, dwarf beans are generally wild and have a foul smell, which makes them unsuitable for consumption. After eight years of research, Aminul has been able to bring the qualities of native green beans to dwarf green beans. For this, a pure line was selected after the hybridization of the native variety with a dwarf variety.
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Both the two new varieties have been created through a pure line selection after hybridization of a native variety with a foreign dwarf variety. They are both photosensitive and early breeds and the seeds can be sown from August to September.
The height of a BU Dwarf Bean 8 plant is 35 – 45 centimetres. The flower of the bean is green, veins are purple, and like noldog. Each green bean weighs 18 – 20 grams and has 6 – 8 seeds in a pod. Each plant can accommodate 75 – 80 beans. The lifespan of the plants is 120 – 130 days and the yield per plant is 1200 – 1500 grams of beans. This variety can be grown all over the country.
The height of the BU Dwarf Bean 9 plant is 40 – 50 centimetres. The flower of the bean is green, veins are purple, and like noldog. Each bean weighs nine – 10 grams and is eight-nine centimetres long. Each bean pod has five to six seeds and each plant can accommodate 75 – 100 beans and can yield 700 – 900 grams.
According to Aminul, the newly developed green beans will play an important role in urban and roof agriculture for its ease of cultivation.
Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Prof Dr Md Giashuddin Miah, said these varieties of beans developed by the university can be cultivated as field crops without trellises or poles so the production cost will be less than other green beans, benefitting farmers.
As the bean varieties are dwarf, they can also be grown in plant pots, making an outstanding contribution to urban and roof agriculture, he added.
