Multitrait Analysis and Participatory Variety Selection of Common Bean in West Shewa, Ethiopia

Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important pulse crops grown for both nutritional and income‐generating purposes in Ethiopia. However, its production and productivity remain below their potential. One of the major constraints is the limited dissemination of improved varieties across suitable agroecological zones. Evaluating improved common bean varieties under specific agroecological conditions is crucial for enhancing crop production and productivity and increasing farmers’ income. In addition, participatory variety selection (PVS) plays a vital role in promoting the adoption of improved crop varieties in new growing areas. The aim of this study was to identify adapted, stable, disease‐resistant, and farmer‐preferred common bean varieties. The experiment was conducted on six farmers’ fields in two districts over two consecutive cropping seasons (2020 and 2021) in West Shewa, Ethiopia. Five common bean genotypes were evaluated through a multienvironment trial (MET) conducted in 12 environments (six locations over 2 years) using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The genotypes were assessed based on the multitrait mean performance and stability (MTMPS) index and PVS. The combined likelihood ratio test (LRT) revealed significant differences among environments, genotypes, and genotype × environment interactions (GEIs) for all evaluated traits, except the number of seeds per pod (SPP). The results indicated that genotypes SER119 and Nasir exhibited superior MPS across environments. Participatory evaluation showed that farmers assigned high importance to grain yield (GY) and disease resistance during field assessment, while seed color and seed size were considered important quality traits for marketability. Farmers also ranked earliness and plant erectness as important criteria for genotype selection. Accordingly, genotype SER119 was the most preferred by farmers, followed by Nasir and SER125. This result demonstrated strong agreement between the genotypes identified by the MTMPS analysis and those selected by farmers through PVS. The findings suggest that farmers possess substantial knowledge and decision‐making ability to distinguish superior varieties from inferior ones. Therefore, farmers’ participation in common bean genotype evaluation is essential for effective adaptation, dissemination, and adoption. Integrating farmers’ preferences with multitrait performance and stability analyses can facilitate the selection of the most suitable genotypes for sustainable production in target areas.