Effect of site, harvesting stage, and genotype on environmental staining in faba bean (Vicia faba L.)
Syed M. Nasar-Abbas A B F , Julie A. Plummer A C , Peter White B D , Kadambot H. M. Siddique B C , Mario D’Antuono D , David Harris B E and Ken Dods B EA School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
B Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
C Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
D Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, 3 Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia.
E Chemistry Centre Western Australia, 125 Hay St, East Perth, WA 6004, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Emails: abbass01@cyllene.uwa.edu.au; syednassar@yahoo.com
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59(4) 365-373 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR07150
Submitted: 12 April 2007 Accepted: 24 January 2008 Published: 8 April 2008
Abstract
Seed discoloration due to environmental staining in faba bean leads to poor quality and reduced market price. Environmental staining in faba bean is characterised by a dark brown, grey, or black discoloration of the seed coat at harvest. Its cause is unknown, but it does not appear to be caused by a pathogen. Environmental conditions during pod and seed formation and at maturity are thought to have a large effect on the degree of environmental staining. To test the hypothesis that seeds formed under stressful conditions will have a higher degree of staining, faba bean seeds were harvested at 2 different stages of maturity from trials located in a range of environmental conditions under a Mediterranean-type climate of south-western Australia over 2 seasons. Four faba bean varieties were studied (Fiord, Fiesta, Ascot, and Cairo).
The majority of seeds had good colour but across the trials, 3–25% were stained up to an unacceptable level and this varied with location and variety. Seeds formed later in plant development (located on the upper nodes of the plant) had more staining than seeds formed earlier (located on the lower nodes). Seeds formed on small and weak plants had more staining than seeds formed on normal sized healthy plants. Fiord showed a greater amount of staining than Ascot, Fiesta, and Cairo when grown in the mild, southern environments. Early harvesting (at physiological maturity) did not reduce environmental seed staining compared with harvesting at full maturity.
Chemical analysis of seed testa and cotyledons revealed that total phenolic contents of the testa and cotyledons increased with staining. An increase in Zn and Na and a decrease in K concentration in the testa were also associated with increased staining levels.
Additional keywords: pulses, grain legumes, seed discoloration, phenolics, nutrients.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA), the Chemistry Centre WA (CCWA), and the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) for their financial and technical support for this research project.
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