ELIXIR А NEW DRY BEAN VARIETY PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L. Bulgaria | ЕЛИКСИР НОВ СОРТ ЗРЯЛ ФАСУЛ P. VULGARIS L.

The most suitable varieties for the semi-continental climate of Bulgaria are of IIIb type, in which the main stem and branches end with a vegetative bud, with tendency to climbing and lodging and pods located mainly in the lower third. They are known as semi-climbing varieties. These varieties are suitable for both without- or co-cultivation with maize and others. They do not require support and achieve maximum yield in single crop. They are grown in mixed crops from other considerations, for example, to maximize the total output and income of the farm, because they are less dependent on environment and available labour, to avoid direct contact of seeds with the soil surface, etc.These varieties are suitable for two-phase harvesting - first, pulling up plants manually in single and mixed crops or by machine for single crop, then leaving on windrow to wither up, and second - combining or thrashing on trashing floor or manually. Variety Elixir was developed by Dimitar Genchev and Ivan Kiriakov, DAI - General Toshevo, through repeated selection of individual plants in the cross DG 95-49 GN Star/Garmen. The variety was approved by the Expert Committee on legumes at IASAS and is protected by a certificate. The vegetation period of Elixir is 85 ± 4 d, 6-9 days less than Dobrudjanski 7. The main stem and branches of variety Elixir end with vegetative bud. The plant is lodging and climbing IIIb type. The hypocotyl is green. The plant height depending on environmental conditions is within 100 - 160 cm. The pods are located in the lower 1/3 of the plant. All this makes variety Elixir suitable for two-phase harvesting. The leaves are dark green, with weak rugosity, medium size, weak pilosity above and below, triangular to circular in shape and with medium acumiminate apex. Flowers are with white standard and wings, white keel and small bract. Pods are medium long and broad, rounded, with medium thickness:width ratio, green, stringiness, concave, medium curved, acute to truncate apex, moderately rough, medium long and with medium curved beak. Seeds are white, kidney-shaped, with medium glossines and veining. The weight of 1000 seeds is 410 ± 40 g and hectoliter weight is 74.9 ± 1.4 kg. They are with excellent taste and cooking time 138 ± 15 min. The protein content is 21.53 ± 0.39%. Variety Elixir shows moderate resistance of leaves 4.5 and resistance of pods 3.5 to strains XB96221 and XB99132 of bacterial blight. The leaves of variety Elixir are resistant 3.0 to races 1, 6 and 9 and moderately resistant 5.0 to race 7 of halo blight. The pods are resistant 2.3 to race 9, moderately resistant 5.0 to races 1 and 6 and susceptible 7.7 to race 7 of halo blight. The similar varieties Dobrudjanski 7, Dobrudjanski ran, Plovdiv 2, Plovdiv 10, Plovdiv 11M and Plovdiv 15M are with highly susceptible leaves and pods. Obraztsov chiflik 12 and Obraztsov chiflik 24 are with highly susceptible leaves and pods, too. This is the first Bulgarian variety with resistance to bacterial blight. Elixir is immune to bacterial wilt (strain SS96212) the reactions of wilt, necrosis and growth stunt are absent. The similar varieties show wilt and growth stunt in different degrees. Variety Elixir is moderately susceptible to isolate Ss-1 of white mold. The stems and leaves are resistant to all investigated races 2, 6, 22, 54 and 81 of anthracnose. The leaf stalks are resistant 1.0 3.4 to races 2, 6, 22 and 54 and moderately resistant 5.8 to race 81. The other varieties are susceptible to race 81 and varieties Dobrudjanski 7, Plovdiv 2, Plovdiv 10, Plovdiv 11M, Plovdiv 15M and Obraztsov chiflik 12 are resistant to race 6 and Dobrudjanski early, Obraztsov chiflik 24 are moderately resistant to race 6. All varieties are susceptible to bean rust. The stable variety is a variety with a high mean unit regression coefficient bi = 1.0 and the deviations from regressions are as small as possible S2 i = 0. During 2005 - 2007 in a competitive variety trial at Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute - General Toshevo, an yield of 1906 kg/ha was obtained from variety Elixir, which is 10.4 % higher than the yield from Dobrudjanski 7 .Elixir is characterized by regression coefficient bi = 0.935, which is very close to bi = 1.0 the most desirable adaptability. The deviation from regressions of Elixir is S2 i = 18831, while Dobrudjanski 7 has S2 i = 216780. According to Kangs ranking 1993 for parallel selection for yield and stability the coefficient is YSi = 12, which is the highest.