The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization has unveiled a new bean variety.
According to KALRO Bean Project lead Dr David Karanja, Waithera, which is a low-flatulence alternative, is set to replace Wairimu.
Flatulence is the buildup of gas after consuming beans with phytic acid, which is stored in grains.
Wairimu bean is renowned for its rich red colour and popularity but has been noted to cause significant gas issues among consumers.
Karanja said that the new Waithera variety retains the desirable characteristics of Wairimu bean but is specifically bred to produce less gas, offering a more comfortable consumption experience.
“The Waithera bean cooks fast, is sweet when cooked, has a low flatulent level and contains medium levels of zinc and iron,” he said.
Farmers, he said, should expect to have this variety in the next five years.
“In the coming three to four years, we will select some promising lines that are proving to be more drought-tolerant than the Nyota bean variety. We keep trying to improve the bean varieties that farmers have been using,” Karanja said.
Vicky Korir, a plant pathologist at KALRO-Katumani, said that flatulent levels in beans are assessed on a scale of one to nine, with Wairimu rated at seven.
He said that if a bean variety has a flatulent level of less than one, it means it does not cause gas issues.
“The Angaza, Nyota, Metameta and Faida bean varieties have flatulent levels below one,” she said.
Karanja said breeders/technicians take the bean varieties to staff or local communities in town to get their opinions and suggest names based on their appearance.
“For instance, Nyota was doing well at the research stage on the farm. We realised that the bean variety was performing better than other beans, so we thought of it as a ‘star.’ The bean was a star among other bean varieties, which is how it got the Swahili name Nyota,” the scientist said.
He added that the Waithera emerged from the need to replace the Wairimu.
Wairimu and Mwitemania are mainly used in school feeding initiatives, but their high levels of flatulence contribute significantly to ulcers.
“There are people in families who don’t eat beans because the available beans in the market cause flatulence. That is why we needed a bean that everyone could consume without issues,” Karanja said.
To select the name Waithera, the KALRO consulted many farmers during training sessions across six counties.
“We asked the farmers if they were to replace the Wairimu bean variety, what name they would prefer. The two names that came up were Waithira and Wangui, and eventually, they voted for Waithira,” he said.
Currently, KALRO is in the seed production phase.
“We start with small quantities called nuclear seeds, then multiply them into breeder seeds and then to pre-basic seeds. For the breeder seeds, we have started giving them to farmers in various areas such as Nakuru, Laikipia, Nyeri and Elgeyo Marakwet counties. We are receiving good feedback from the farmers,” Karanja said.
They are distributing the bean varieties to areas where farmers predominantly grow Wairimu to get feedback.
“By next year, we will have reached the level of pre-basic seeds, then basic seeds and eventually certified seeds,” he said.