Bacterial diseases and rust are dual threats to Nebraska's dry bean growers and new strains keep showing up.

A new great northern bean cultivar, called Weihing, features much-needed multiple resistance to bacterial and rust disease strains prevalent in Nebraska. NU's Agricultural Research Division and USDA's Agricultural Research Service jointly released Weihing in 1998. Certified seed will be available for growers in spring 2000.

No commercially available great northern variety combines rust and bacterial disease resistance, said Dermot Coyne, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources dry bean breeder and part of IANR's dry bean breeding and development team at Lincoln, North Platte and Scottsbluff.

Weihing resists rust, a fungus; common bacterial blight and halo blight, both bacterial diseases; and BCMV, a virus.

In disease-free fields, Weihing's yields match top commercial varieties and out-yields them when disease is present. Weihing matures in 90-95 days.

Weihing features larger, brighter seed than Beryl, a standard great northern variety.

"It should be attractive for marketing because of this," Coyne said.

Weihing grows more upright than Beryl, facilitating furrow irrigation. Its upright growth allows better light and wind penetration throughout the canopy, reducing chances of white mold.

"There's been a lot of interest in this bean in both Nebraska and Idaho," Coyne said.

Weihing is named for John Weihing, an NU faculty member for over 30 years. Weihing headed what is today's NU Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff from 1971 to 1983, and long championed the state's dry bean industry. After retirement, Weihing, who lives in Gering, was a state senator.

The Nebraska Dry Bean Commission helps fund IANR's dry bean breeding and development program; the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers supported on-farm tests of Weihing.

- Vicki Miller

IANR photo