Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project aims at enhancing both…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project aims at enhancing both agronomic and end-use quality traits of organic dry beans through plant breeding and developing value-added bean products using environment-friendly and sustainable processing and packaging. Organic bean farmers face production challenges, especially seedling vigor and harvestability that directly impact the bean quality for end-users. Both the production and end-use characteristics can be addressed through genetic improvement, and by considering both togetherin a breeding program, new cultivars are more likely to be adopted by farmers and appeal to consumers. While dry beans are nutrient-rich, the per capita U.S. Consumption remains low. Therefore, developing appealing value-added bean products in readily-recyclable and convenient packaging should go hand-in-hand with breeding efforts to further ensure adoption. We propose to breed improved varieties and develop organic bean products of higher quality, which are ready-to-eat, healthy, sustainably processed. Our specific objectives are to 1) breed dry bean for organic production and end-use quality. 2) develop value-added organic bean products using sustainable processing and packaging. 3) sensory evaluation, assessment of consumer preferences and marketing potential of value-added organic bean products. 4) evaluate package performance of pouches and microwave steamable bags for beans. 5) disseminate of project results through interactive crop and product evaluations.