Evaluation of the Quality of Common Bean Seeds (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Palicero Variety, at the Seed Bank of the Universidad Libre

Abstract

Seed banks are germplasm conservation instruments, which ensure genetic diversity, promote environmental sustainability, and guarantee the right to nutritional security and food sovereignty in alimentary communities. One of the fundamental procedures to evaluate the condition of genetic resources are quality testing. For this reason, the objective of this research was to evaluate the phytosanitary, physical and physiological quality of the native seeds of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), Palicero variety, available in the inventory of the seed bank of the Universidad Libre, whose origin is from the municipality of Consacá, Nariño, as a research and conservation strategy for germplasm. The quality evaluation involved performing the following tests: sanity, moisture content, purity, viability, vigor, and germination, obtaining as a result an average incidence of pathogens of 1.23 % in phytosanitary quality; in physical quality, 99.98 % purity and 5.01 % humidity, and with respect to physiological quality, viability between 81 % and 85 % and a 10 % reduction in germination potential, which in general, represents a favorable condition for its conservation despite the fact that nine months elapsed between collection and evaluation.