Registration of ‘Kona’ black bean

Abstract

‘Kona’ (Reg. no. CV-366, PI 705624) black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), developed by Michigan State University AgBioResearch, was released in 2024 as an upright, full-season cultivar with good canning quality. Kona was developed using the pedigree breeding method to the F₄ generation followed by pure line selection for disease, agronomic and quality traits. In 4 years of field trials, Kona produced an average yield of 3604 kg ha⁻¹, (averaged 9.5% above 24 trial means) flowered in 48 days and matured in 97 days on average. Plants averaged 48 cm in height, with lodging resistance score of 1.7 and seed weight of 22.6 g 100 seed⁻¹. Kona combines high yield potential with upright architecture and mid-to-full season maturity in a black seed type. Kona has good resistance to lodging, an upright plant habit, and high pod placement within the plant making it suitable for direct harvest under narrow row production systems. Kona is resistant to Bean common mosaic virus, resistant to race 7 of anthracnose, and has shown better tolerance to common bacterial blight than other black bean cultivars. Kona produces seed that meets industry standards for export and packaging and was rated average in canned bean color in the black bean market class.