British baked beans – yes please
3 Oct 2013 by Evoluted New Media
Baked beans are a staple of the British diet, with over 1.7 million cans consumed in the UK every year, yet not one bean is grown in this country.
Most are imported from Canada as conditions in the UK are not conducive to growing the navy or the haricot bean as it is more commonly known. Scientists from the University of Warwick Crop Centre have launched a research project using the latest DNA sequencing technology to map the genes governing traits needed to help the bean thrive in the UK climate.
“The ultimate aim is to produce a navy bean which is less sensitive to cold soil in the spring, is resistant to common diseases that occur over the summer in the UK, and is also ready to be harvested in early September,” said Professor Eric Holub, who is supervising the research.
“A shortened growing season is most important as navy beans in the UK have to be harvested in September when it is still dry to avoid autumnal damp weather which causes them to discolour.”
During the 1980s, scientists were looking an introducing desirable trait to the navy bean – Phaseolus vulgaris – but research ground to a halt. This time around, scientists will use next-generation DNA sequencing technology to hunt for DNA sequence variations occurring between the genomes of elite parent lines to develop a database of genome-wide genetic markers. These markers will be used to develop a genetic roadmap for locating genes controlling specific traits such as early maturity and resistance to diseases like halo blight.
“Navy beans are a potentially viable rotational crop for UK farmers and we think that there could be great demand from consumers for a home-grown baked bean,” said Andrew Tock, a PhD student funded by the BBSRC.
“We eat hundreds of millions of cans of beans every year in the UK – they are cheap and tasty, and are recognised as being part of a healthy diet.”
The team hope to begin working with UK farmers to test whether experimental lines are more suitable for bean production in British growing conditions soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivmCOShd77w
