4. Green-seeded

The French Flageolets verts were originally selected from a mutant white-seeded bean more than 100 years ago by M. Chevrier or Arpajon near Paris. They remain green by having 'lost' the enzyme chlorophyll oxidase which in normal beans destroys the chlorophyll as maturity and senescence approach. The Mendelian genetic trait for this loss is a simple recessive but subject to some modifiers. Thus it is possible to combine green-seededness of what the French still consider typical flageolets verts. Sometimes, still, all such varieties of which many have been bred are still, incorrectly, called 'Chevrier vert'. That was only the correct name of the original green flageolet long superseded by improvements bred by many plant breeders.

I have long been interested in recombining the characteristic green color, which also gives a particular 'green bean' associated with the chlorophyll persistence, (homozygosity in the pc gene for persistent chlorophyll) with other traits, and particularly with maturity, and seed size and shape. I have worked with others on green seeded beans in France and several varieties of standard flageolet vert from France were released via Claeys-Luck / Griffaton Selection through other seed houses from that programme. From this programme I have obtained Gogo (a green pea bean) and Jalousie.

(from either Minivert X Coquette or Shakro X Rocket). It has performed well and its green seeds are similar in size to a standard Navy pea bean. It has an excellent erect bush habit and high density of podding. We have not yet made any attempt to develop it commercially but along with Stop and Prim it could be introduced in an interesting marketing programme as the way Ahead in beans . Its green color however is not as intense as that of the best flageolet vert varieties (such as Vernel of Vilmorin).

The uncertainly surrounding the family from which this variety arises is due to a serious harvesting error by which the provenance in the field of a number of lines was accidentally lost.

(Limousin X Horsehead) This is a full sized Green Kidney Bean bred from Limousin a very attractive late maturing variety unsuitable for the U.K. I believe it has significant market potential in the U.S.A. where standard Red Kidney's are grown which are look a likes in size but totally contrasting in color. It was trialled in Hungary by Stephen Eke and farming associates in Transylvania and produced very good reports of yield and acceptibility but the variety was then said to have become lost. I would like to see it developed by my associates before it emerges as somebody else's 'discovery' for U.K. and even Jersey conditions, however, it is in my opinion, substantially too late maturing.

Is a green seeded green pod (dual-purpose) vegetable variety (see below). Its long thin green seeds are veritable flageolets (meaning little flute) and conform much more closely to this image than most modern so called flageolets verts. It is not from my original crossing programme but is developed from highly segregating early generation bean material distributed in the late 1980's from a breeding programme that was being discontinued in the USA and from which we were asked to assess the potential. The material proved to be rather unusually unstable (difficult to purify over many generations of single plant selection), probably due to its resulting from 'wide' crossing. Verity is a line I consider valuable and which might be possibly registered and marketed, Any residue of seed beyond that needed for green bean seed provides an excellent quality flageolet vert grain. I would not personally claim or seek to claim breeder's rights on this material, however, I have carried out a considerable amount of work on it. If the line is useful I would wish to acknowledge its original American source and its proper acquisition by Nutting and Speed of Longstanton and thence to me when that company closed.