Some Nice Beans

[Ferdzy]

Here are the f3 of a cross that showed up a few years back. I was initially a bit disappointed with the f2 (last year) because they didn't flush with a purple haze as nicely as the f1. Also the beans were rather short. On the other hand they are really delicious and have very decent anthracnose resistance. I believe them to be a cross between Anellino Giallo (Anellino Yellow) and Cherokee Trail of Tears. (No, not all my bean crosses are fathered by CTOT, just 95% of them.)

I'm actually seeing more variation in them this year; some of them flush purple more quickly than others, and some of them are quite long while others are still fairly short. I know some of them have strings and some of them don't and I need to work on getting that out. We also have yellow mosaic virus in the beans this year, quite badly, and there is variation in how well they are handling that.

I'm quite hopeful that another few years of selection will make these a distinctive and rather special bean.

[Richard Watson]

Good luck with your on going selection

[Ferdzy]

Here's another bean that showed up this year. It was in a patch that were already a cross, (Deseronto Potato x Blue Lake). I've been growing them out for a few years as they are a "navy bean" but pole not bush. They are productive and dry down faster than Deseronto Potato which is a terrific bean but so large I sometimes have trouble getting them dry enough to store without going mouldy.

Looking at my records, this one would be either (Deseronto Potato x Blue Lake) x (Blue Lake x Cherokee Trail of Tears) OR (Deseronto Potato x Blue Lake) x (Annelino Giiallo x Cherokee Trail of Tears), in other words the bean in the first post above. Believe it or not, those pods started off purple and faded to green as they ripened. I've never seen that happen before. You can see they dried to a standard tan. The beans, though - the beans are grey marbled. I've never seen a bean that colour/pattern combination. The bad news is this is an F1 so no guarantee I will see it again next year. Still, there's a lot of beans in that lineage, and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of it. They seem very resistant to the yellow mosaic virus that ravaged the beans earlier, and the anthracnose that is ravaging them now. Of course, as an F1, I expect to see a lot of variation on that front next year too.

[triffid]

Lovely looking beans there. Never heard of a pod starting purple and fading to green either (except when cooked).

[Rebsie Fairholm]

Wow, those are an amazing colour which I've never seen before. I guess there's no knowing whether it'll turn up again in the F2 but at least it gives you a good incentive to try! This is the greatest joy of plant breeding for me, getting these sorts of surprises.

[Andrew Barney]

Wow!! VERY cool! I do rather like that color a LOT!

[Doro]

Sooo pretty and unique looking!
I've never seen this colour before.

[Ferdzy]

Hah, yes on the colour although I was lying in bed last night thinking about beans - as one does - and wondering what they would look like cooked - could be pretty unappealing. I have a feeling though, that they'll be different next year so trying not to get too attached to it.

I'm also thinking that Anellino Giallo was the only bean in the set with a marbled/patterned bean, so that's probably one of the grandparents, which is a happy thought as it is by far our most disease-resistant bean.

[reed]

I'm also thinking that Anellino Giallo was the only bean in the set with a marbled/patterned bean, so that's probably one of the grandparents, which is a happy thought as it is by far our most disease-resistant bean.

I don't know about that. Seems to me the marbled/patterned is one of the common seed coat types that show up in the segregates of about all my crossed beans.

[Ferdzy]

I agree the marble/speckle pattern is very common and can show up in crosses that didn't have it in the parents, but all the (Cherokee Trail of Tears x Blue Lake) seeds have been either white, beige, or black up to now, the F3. It isn't guaranteed that the Anellino Giallo is one of the grandparents; I just think that the balance of probability favours it. Especially since that parent also has a changeable green-to-purple pod, the reverse of this one. Since the other cross produces purple beans as well I don't think this is quite so suggestive.

In any case, I'll plant them next year and see what I get.

[reed]

Something about CTT and another black seeded bean I have called Ideal Market. Seems like every time I grow one of them in following seasons I get all kinds of weird things showing up. Not in them but in my other beans. I guess they got some kind of super pollen. Lots of those that result have purple or purple streaked pods and black mottled seeds, which we don't like as snaps but those with solid brown seeds generally have nice green pods and are quite good.

My Hoosier Wonder which I was so excited about (KY Wonder x CTT or IM) Turned out this year to have solid dark purple pods. I can't figure that out cause I didn't plant seed from last years purple ones. Seeds are large flatish and light tan just like those I planted but the purple pods were an unhappy surprise. 

[Ferdzy]

Cherokee Trail of Tears is definitely a stud! I was happy about the (Blue Lake x CToT) cross and I knew what it was right away because black seed coat seems very dominant. Subsequent grow outs gave the other two colours (white, beige) and green and purple pods. Also round and flat beans, and white and pink/purple flowers. There's quite a lot of variation hidden in there! CToT always seems to have a bit of a subtle purple cast to it, so not too surprised by subsequent purple stuff.

I'm surprised your Hoosier Wonder turned out to be ALL purple, although if it's a recessive and you got it in on both sides, then yeah, maybe.  I noticed in this cross that all the purple beans had tan seeds. I forget if ALL the white and black seeds were green - I think not? - but the tan was definitely associated with purple pods.

[Lauren]

Beans seem to be one of those plants that shows first generation variations. I had Hitatsu Red planted right next to Rattlesnake and some of the HR seeds have the Rattlesnake streaks. I found the same last year with Oland Brown and Whipple. Orange shaded beans with the Whipple patterning.

Is this usually the case? I'm waiting for Rattlesnake to start ripening and see if any of the seeds are red. Although I think I'll only replant the Hidatsu Red female parent seeds. If there's no variation, can I assume those seeds are pure? I'm guessing not, but it would be nice. The Hidatsu red was a complete failure three years running so I was going to eliminate it (out of seeds) but two seeds were hiding and germinated this spring. I have a dozen or so seeds, and more pods coming on. So if the pure reds can be reliably determined to be HR, I can put them away for future need and just grow the mix.

[reed]

I noticed in this cross that all the purple beans had tan seeds. I forget if ALL the white and black seeds were green - I think not? - but the tan was definitely associated with purple pods.

Hummm, I think I screwed up and planted the wrong seeds this year, should have planted the brown ones.

Beans seem to be one of those plants that shows first generation variations.

I have never see that, my off type beans always show up the next or even later years. They are rare in the ones I grow for green beans because most get eaten without ever being noticed.  I had no idea how common random crosses were in beans till I started growing more of them for my dry soup bean mix.

[Ferdzy]

There continue to be some interesting results out of this line of beans.

All of the non-black beans in the photo come out of the purple marbled bean. The bag is mislabeled; these are the beans I selected as being reasonably disease resistant and productive. By some coincidence they are all pretty much what I would call "pea beans" or "navy beans". (I'm tentatively thinking of continuing to grow them as a grex and calling it "Royal Canadian Navy".) They are of interest, but not as exciting as the other two.

The beige seeds in the lower right are all from one plant. There are about 2/3 of a cup of them, and there would have been even more except this plant was at the end of a row and a prime target for deer attacks. It had very decent disease resistance, attractive purple pods, and dried down later than I would like but as you see, early enough to get lots. If the offspring are anything similar, I think it has real possibilities.

The black seeds at lower left really are from the ((Octarora x CToT) x (Blue Lake x CToT)) cross mentioned on the bag. I've been growing out Octarora that crossed with CToT for a few years; it quickly reverted to looking a lot like Octarora with larger seeds and a few black and white ones sprinkled in. This plant stood out as being amazingly productive, and the beans looked like and tasted like Blue Lake. Again, good disease resistance. Nice purple flowers too. Again, really looking forward to seeing how these ones do.