Development of Bruchid-Resistant Mungbean Line Using Wild Mungbean Germplasm in Thailand

A mungbean (V. radiata) line (BC₃F₃ generation) which is resistant to two species of bruchid beetles (Callosobruchus chinensis and C. maculatus) was successfully developed in Thailand using a wild mungbean variety (V. radiata var. sublobata). One accession (TC1966) of wild mungbean was found to be completely resistant to C. chinensis and C. maculatus occurring at Chainat Field Crops Research Center in Thailand. The resistance was controlled by a single dominant gene (R). A breeding program to develop a bruchid-resistant mungbean cultivar with good agronomic characters under the environmental conditions of Thailand was initiated in 1987.‘Chainat 60’ (‘CN60’), a recommended mungbean cultivar in Thailand, was crossed with TC1966 to incorporate the resistance gene. Agronomic characters of the hybrids were improved by recurrent backcrossing using ‘CN60’ as a pollen parent. Seed yield per plant, days to flowering, and seed size of the bruchid-resistant BC₃F₂ population reached the level of ‘CN60’ after three consecutive backcrossings. Bruchid-resistant line (BC₃F₃, R/R) was selected from individual BC₃F₂ plants.