Natural Hybridization of the Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as a Method of Initial Material for Selection

Background: This review deals with natural hybridization, an important subject in conservation biology. This process is uncommon in terms of the total number of individuals involved, but is much less unusual if we consider the number of species that hybridize. Thus, natural hybridization may be an important process in the shaping of the evolutionary trajectories of many plant and animal species. The possible consequences of natural hybridization, which can either promote or prevent evolutionary divergence between taxa and will involve many ecological factors, are analysed here. Methods: Local AzePHA-16 samples (flowers light pink, beans striped on a green background, stems green, seeds purple) participated in the hybridization as a high-quality mother form. The introduced AzePHA-t/15 (with purple flowers, dark purple pods, anthocyanin-rich stem and light-brown seeds) samples were used as a high-quality father form. To confirm that natural hybridization had occurred and to determine the genetic characteristics of the hybrids, individual characteristics such as flower, fruit and seed color and shape, growth rate and yield were compared. Result: Natural hybrids have been obtained by cross-pollination between different genotypes of beans without human intervention. The observation of seeds and beans of different shapes and colors indicates that the parents have different genetic characteristics and that these characteristics are expressed in different combinations. The fact that hybrid plants have different phenotypes proves genetic variation. Our findings highlight the often underestimated conservation value of hybrid populations.