Genetic progress and potential of common bean families obtained by recurrent selection

Abstract The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic gain of two recurrent selection cycles in common bean breeding and identify families with the potential to generate superior lines. The base population, cycle zero (C0), was obtained by combining 20 carioca bean parents, populations with favorable phenotypes for several agronomically important traits. The parents were recombined in a circulant diallel scheme, in which each parent participated in two crosses, generating 20 populations. From these populations, families were derived and evaluated for three seasons in the generations F2:3, F2:4 and F2:5. The same procedures of recombination and evaluation in C0 were performed in cycle one (CI). The genetic gain for yield, estimated from the simultaneous evaluation of the 40 best families of each cycle, was 8.6%. Families with potential to generate superior lines to cultivar Pérola were identified, especially among the CI families.