Popping and Yield Characteristics of Nuña Bean Lines Developed for Temperate Climates

Nuña bean is a special market class of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) indigenous to the Andean mountains of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Nuña bean is often referred to as “popping” or “pop” beans because the seed expands rapidly when heated in oil. South American nuña bean cultivars are not adapted to production in the United States because they are photoperiod sensitive and have an aggressive climbing, indeterminate growth habit. The popping characteristic from nuña bean was successfully introgressed into 10 dry bean lines with determinate growth habit and adaptation to the temperate climates of North America. The objective of this research was to evaluate the nuña breeding lines for yield, popping ability, and seed size at three locations in Colorado. Two lines, CO49956 and CO49957, had the highest popping frequency (70 and 68%, respectively) among the lines tested. Mean seed yield among lines varied from 1321 to 1794 kg ha−1 and mean seed size varied from 34 to 44 g 100 seeds−1. All lines had determinate growth habit with Type I architecture. Our findings indicate that four of the lines, CO49956, CO49957, CO50004, and CO49991, were the most productive and had the highest popping frequency. Nuña popping bean has potential for commercial on‐farm production in suitable temperate locations and as a commercial product to the American consumer.