Genetic analysis of seed traits in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important food crop with tremendous genetic and phenotypic diversity. Using a high throughput in vitro screening method, fermentation patterns of common bean cultivars from the Middle American Diversity Panel with human gut microbiomes were measured. This new approach enables discovery of genetic variation in common bean that has significant effects on the human gut microbiome and creates a new strategy for crop improvement programs to improve human health traits.