322 WWW.CROPS.ORG CROP SCIENCE, VOL. 56, JANUARY– FEBRUARY 2016 RESEARCH C uba is the largest island in the Caribbean and has a long history of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivation (Castinieras et al., 1991). The crop was introduced by Taino and Arawak tribes from the east (Mesoamerica) and from the south- west (other Caribbean islands and South America), respectively. Therefore, both common bean genepools (Andean and Meso- american) have been present in Cuba since pre-Colombian times. Cassava (Manihot esculenta L.), maize (Zea mays L.), and sweet potato [Ipomea batatas (L.) Lam.] were other important crops in Cuba and were traditionally used in “Conuco” (mixed crop) garden agriculture. Early Spanish voyagers describe the diverse gardens used by the Taino to produce a range of New World crops including common bean and lima bean (P. lunatus L.). Slave trade brought African vegetables and early rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars to Cuba. After the end of Spanish and North-American rule of Cuba, beans continued to be an important staple. Rice and beans became the national dish and the main calorie and protein source for a large agricultural population. As the island with the largest land area and population in the Caribbean, Cuba is a country of 11.3 million inhabitants and 110,000 km 2 , with significant crop production and research in sustainable agriculture. Owing to its location near the tropic Diversity of Common Bean Landraces, Breeding Lines, and Varieties from Cuba Matthew W. Blair* and Sandra M. Lorigados ABSTRACT Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea and has a long history of common bean (Phase- olus vulgaris L.) cultivation. The crop was intro- duced to the island along with immigration of Native American tribes both from the west and from the southeast of the Caribbean archipelago. This resulted in both the Andean and Mesoamer- ican genepools being present in Cuba since pre- Colombian times and opportunities for genepool intermixing in this secondary center of diver- sity. Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have been found to be ideal for evaluating introgression in common bean because of their high polymorphism per locus. Therefore, the goal of this study was to use 36 SSR markers to evalu- ate a collection of 210 common bean landraces and cultivars from Cuba to determine the genetic diversity and common bean population structure found in this part of the Caribbean. The Cuban germplasm was very clearly divided into a major- ity Mesoamerican group and a minority Andean group. Surprisingly, the level of introgression between the genepools was lower than has been observed in previous studies of germplasm from other secondary centers of diversity. The opti- mum number of populations was K = 2, and sub- groups were not evident, suggesting that only one race of each genepool is found on the island. In conclusion, Cuban beans are most likely to be derived from race Mesoamerica and race Nueva Granada, with very little mixing from other races. The implications of these results on the breeding of common beans in Cuba is discussed. M.W. Blair, Dep. of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Tennes- see State Univ., 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Nashville TN, 37209; S.M. Lorigados, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas, La Habana, Km 3.5 Ctra. de Tapaste, San José de Las Lajas, Mayabeque, CP 32700, Cuba. Received 6 Apr. 2015. Accepted 24 July 2015. *Corresponding author (mblair@tnstate.edu). Abbreviations: BGYMV, bean golden yellow mosaic virus; PCR, poly- merase chain reaction; RAPD, random amplified polymorphic DNA; SNP, single nucleotides polymorphism; SSR, single sequence repeat. Published in Crop Sci. 55:322–330 (2015). doi: 10.2135/cropsci2015.04.0213 © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. Published November 6, 2015