DEVELOPMENT OF COMMON BEAN (PHASEOLUS-VULGARIS L) LINES RESISTANT TO THE BEAN POD WEEVIL, APION GODMANI WAGNER, IN CENTRAL-AMERICA

The larva of the bean pod weevil (BPW), Apion godmani Wagner (Coleopte ra: Curculionidae), causes serious yield losses in common bean (Phaseo lus vulgaris L.) in Mexico and Central America, by consuming the seed as it develops in the immature pod. Resistance to the BPW was identifi ed in bean germplasm of highland Mexican origin, and these sources of resistance were incorporated into a pedigree breeding program to recov er locally adapted lines resistant to Bean Common Mosaic Virus and BPW , with commercial grain for Guatemala, Honduras and Fl Salvador. These lines yielded as well as or better than local cultivars in the absenc e of the insect, and better than local cultivars when the BPW was pres ent. Resistance appeared to be governed by several genes, and was stab le across geographic areas, seasons and planting systems.