Thermography reveals the potential of traditional bean varieties against common bacterial blight

Abstract

Abstract The common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is of great socioeconomic importance in Brazil, being widely cultivated by family farmers who preserve traditional varieties adapted to regional conditions. These varieties represent a strategic source of genetic variability for breeding programs. Among the main phytosanitary obstacles to cultivation, common bacterial blight (CBB), caused by Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. phaseoli stands out as it compromises bean productivity. This study aimed to evaluate 54 traditional genotypes for resistance to CBC, using visual severity scales and infrared thermography as a complementary tool. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, in a randomized block design with three replicates, in two seasons (May and October 2019). Inoculation was performed by two methods (cutting with scissors at 10⁷ CFU·mL -1 and infiltration with a syringe at 10⁶ CFU·mL -1 ) with the strain Xpp ‘139-y’. The variables analyzed included area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), incubation period (IP), and final score (FS). Thermal images were obtained up to three days after inoculation, allowing the calculation of the mean temperature difference (MTD) between healthy and infected tissues. Thermographic analysis enabled early detection of infection, before the appearance of visual symptoms, distinguishing resistant genotypes such as BAC-6 and UENF 2599. The results highlight the potential of thermography as a fast, accurate, and non-destructive method for selecting resistant genotypes, contributing to the modernization and sustainability of bean breeding programs.

Code and data availability

The paper reports thermographic and severity phenotyping of 54 bean genotypes, but no public dataset, image repository, or analysis code is deposited. The only availability statement is on-request: 'The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on' —'

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