GERMINATION OF COMMON BEANS (Phaseolus vulgaris) UNDER STRESS USING SALTS; SODIUM CHLORIDE (NaCl), POTASSIUM CHLORIDE (KCl) AND SODIUM BICARBONATE (NaHCO₃)

Beans has a longstanding position as a staple of the Nigerian diet due the fact that it is an accessible and affordable source of nutrition for a wide range of people as it is the cheapest plant protein in Nigeria and most parts of Africa. Beans is also significant in the Nigerian diet because it has a potent combination of its high nutritional content, historical use as a financial stabilizer and fixed cultural importance. Consuming beans in Nigeria is not a straightforward dietary decision, rather it is a calculated reaction to a complicated interaction between inherited customs, economic realities and public health requirements. Beans has high-quality protein and fiber composition that act as a vital defense against chronic illnesses and also solve the pervasive protein shortage. Food legumes belonging to the genus Phaseolus, family Leguminosae, subfamily Papilio- nideae, tribe Phaseoleae, and subtribe Phaseolinae are commonly referred to as beans. About 50 wild-growing species of Phaseolus are found only in the Americas; Asian Phaseolus has been reclassified as Vigna. Life histories (annual to perennial), growth patterns (bush to climbing), reproductive systems and adaptations (from cool to warm and dry to wet) are all represented by these species. Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus L.), runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus L.), tepary beans (P. acutifolius A. Grey), and year beans (P. polyanthus Greenman) are among the five domesticated species in the genus. These species have different adaptations and reproductive systems: mesic and temperate, mostly self-pollinated; warm and humid, cool and humid, outcrossing; cleistogamous; and cool and humid, outcrossing, in that order. The other domesticated species, which form a syngameon and are sibling species, are phylogenetically closer to the lima bean. In terms of 1 science and economics, the common bean is the principal species. Its wild ancestor, P. vulgaris var. mexicanus and var. aborigineus, is widely distributed throughout Latin America, from northern Mexico to northwest Argentina. The USDA in Pullman, Washington, USA, and CIAT in Cali, Colombia, both have sizable germplasm collections of both domesticated and wild types. The National Botanical Garden in Meise, Belgium, is home to the Phaseolinae reference collection. The most significant legume for direct human consumption worldwide is the common bean (Gepts, 2001).