The common bean is an important source of minerals and protein in human nutrition. The objective of this study was to investigate possible maternal effects on phosphorus contents in seeds of the common bean, to estimate the heritability in early hybrid generations for the phosphorus content character and to evaluate the potential for genetic improvement. The controlled crossings were performed among Pérola x Guapo Brilhante and TPS Nobre x Guapo Brilhante cultivars. Reciprocal F1, and F2 generations as well as backcross populations were produced by each hybrid combination. The range of variation in phosphorus content among tested progenies was from 3.38 to 5.78 g kg-1 dry matter, and no significant maternal effect was discovered. Narrow sense heritability was of an intermediate 65.54% to low 21.37 % value. An increase of 19.17 % was obtained for phosphorus content in the seeds using just the three parents tested in this study.
Phaseolus vulgaris L.; maternal effect; heritability; early generation
