GENETIC GAIN IN THE COMMON BEAN BREEDING PROGRAM - PERFORMED AT THE SOUTH AND UPPER PARANAIBA REGIONS OF MINAS-GERAIS STATE IN THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES

Genetic progress accomplished by the common beans improvement program, performed at south and upper Paranaiba regions of Minas Gerais, Brazi l. was estimated for the seventies and eighties. from a survey of all results obtained from cultivar's evaluation assays of the period. Two methods were applied to estimate the progress. Firstly, linear regress ion coefficients were estimated throughout the years, for all cultivar s together and for the control cultivar alone. The difference between these b gave the estimate of the annual average genetic gain. Latter, the method proposed by Vencovsky et al. (1986) and modified by Rodrigu es (1990) was applied. Both methods gave similar results, and the annu al average genetic progress in the period was estimated to be 1.9%, wh ich is comparable to those attained in improvement programs performed with other crops in Brazil.