Plant breeding of heirloom-like dry beans for organic farms at the University of California, Davis

Six new varieties of heirloom-like dry bean were recently released by breeders at the University of California, Davis. These new varieties combine the in-demand culinary properties of heirloom types with the improved productivity and efficiency of major commercial types. All trials were conducted on certified organic ground, and the varieties are non-GMO and were developed using traditional cross-pollination and selection.

The new released varieties are:

UC Southwest Gold
UC Southwest Red
UC Sunrise
UC Tiger's Eye
UC Rio Zape
UC Four Corners Red

The project was a collaboration of organic farmers (e.g. Mike and Chris Reeske, Lundberg Family Farms), the Organic Seed Alliance (special thanks to Steve Peters), and UC Davis plant breeders. Numerous graduate and undergraduate students were involved in the project, including Travis Parker, Laura Roser, Ariel Herrera, Jose Pimentel, Natalie Hamada, Emily Yang, Matthew Bustamante, Emily White, Julia Gonzales, Paige Augello, Vivian Wu, Nathalie Gomez, Aung Nyein, and Talissa de Oliveira Floriani

Other UC Davis personnel who provided major support to the project include Paul Gepts, Charlie Brummer, Antonia Palkovic, Jim Muck, Yolanda Guzman, Angelina Bahena, and many more!