Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and the Bean Bruchid (Zabrotes subfasciatus): A Review

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important food legumes worldwide. According to data published in the Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) in 2014, the world dry bean production was estimated at 26.5 million tons that are produced from a cultivated area of 30.6 million hectares (FAOSTAT 2014). In 2010, out of the total beans produced, Latin America and the Caribbean constituted 24.4%, followed by Africa (17%) (FAOSTAT 2014). The total annual worldwide common bean production is about 12 million. Of which, 8 million tons are from Latin America and Africa. The contribution of Africa is about 2.5 million tons annually that makes the continent second major bean producer http://grainlegumes.cgiar.org/crops/commonbean/. The crop has a major role in household food and nutritional security. In Africa, the common bean can transform traditional subsistence farming to a market-oriented modern sector and makes a substantial contribution to the continent’s economy. In eastern and southern Africa, the common bean is the most commonly-grown and consumed-grain legume and a good source of calories and dietary protein (Hillocks et al. 2006; Buruchara et al. 2011). It is cultivated in a broad range of agroecologies and cropping systems, ranging from high potential to marginal and drought prone areas. The diverse bean growing conditions couples with specific preferences for particular bean types, seed colour and shape resulted in wide genetic diversity. In Ethiopia, it is the most widely-grown pulse crop, after the faba bean and an important source of income for many Ethiopian farmers (Asfawet al. 2009). However, the productivity of the crop is below its potential, due to a number of abiotic and biotic stress factors. Most importantly, the bean bruchid (Zabrotes subfasciatus) is the most destructive insect pest, inflicting significant post-harvest losses of stored grain in Ethiopia. Different control options have been used to manage the losses caused by the insect. However, the development of cost-effective, environmentally-safe, sustainable and feasible control measures is the best option to manage bean bruchids in the common bean, particularly for the smallholder farmers. This paper presents a review of literature from a number of related studies and elaborates on the theoretical and practical aspects of the research. The first section provides information about the origin and domestication of the crop. The second section covers the biology, importance and control strategies of the bean bruchid. The third section comprises information about past ABSTRACT