Domestication and Crop History

A new era has begun for Phaseolus vulgaris, and other Phaseolus spp., with the release of the reference genomes of both the Mesoamerican and Andean genotypes. Exploiting the new genome sequences information and the derived tools, important insight in the common bean genomics can be achieved. A major breakthrough in common bean will be the identification of the molecular basis of the domestication syndrome, representing a main step towards our understanding of the evolutionary processes and a fundamental support for researchers and breeders involved in crop improvement. P. vulgaris, along with the other Phaseolus species, represents a unique model to study evolution, domestication and environmental adaptation, focusing on the major phenotypic changes occurring during its evolutionary histories and trajectories and unveiling the molecular mechanisms and genetic basis responsible for the observed changes.This chapter offers an overview of the current knowledge of the evolutionary history of common bean, and of the outcomes relating to the genetic bases of important domestication and adaptation traits. We provide an analysis of the process of domestication, with the focus on convergent phenotypic evolution, and a survey of the studies on common bean that have been specifically carried out on genes related to the domestication syndrome; with particular focus on studies that have compared wild and domesticated forms, highlighting findings on the genetic control of the domestication syndrome and on the genetic architecture of environmental and agronomic important traits.