Navy bean is an important legume crop in Zimbabwe. Although its production in Zimbabwe is limited by multiple constraints including biotic, abiotic and socio-economic, there is no documented evidence. Thus, this study aimed at identifying farmers’ production constraints, preferred traits and cultivars of navy bean, and strategies used to mitigate some of these constraints. A Participatory Rural Appraisal approach involving transect walks, focus group discussions (FGDs), and formal surveys with semi-structured questionnaires was conducted in four villages of the Lowveld region of Zimbabwe. In each of the four villages, two FGDs (one for men and one for women) were conducted. A total of 176 (75 males and 101 females) navy bean-growing households were interviewed. Data from household interviews and FGDs was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists computer package. The most important constraints to navy bean production were drought stress (Females—86%, Males—73%), heat stress (Females—58%, Males—55%), power outages (Females—46%, Males—54%), poor soil fertility (Females—32%; Males—33%) and susceptibility to pod shattering (Females—32%, Males—43%). Mitigation strategies included mulching (18%), ridges (12%), reduced acreage (11%), and cultivating to retain more soil moisture (11%) for drought stress, while irrigating at night (32%), and adjusting planting dates (29%) were used to manage heat stress. Farmer-preferred traits included tolerance to drought and heat, early maturing varieties and disease resistance. Marketing constraints included non-payment for produce in hard currency, lack of diversity in terms of off-takers, high inflation, low grain producer price, delayed payment and breach of contract by contractors. There will be increased adoption of improved navy bean cultivars if breeding programs address the aforementioned constraints and consider farmer-preferred traits when developing new cultivars. Breeders should work closely with extension officers to ensure that cultivars released are cultivated with appropriate agronomic packages for increased productivity and high adoption.

中文翻译：

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农民对海军豆（Phaseolus vulgaris L.）生产限制，首选性状和耕作制度的认识及其对豆类育种的影响：来自津巴布韦东南Lowveld地区的案例研究

海军豆是津巴布韦重要的豆类作物。尽管其在津巴布韦的生产受到多种限制，包括生物，非生物和社会经济因素，但没有任何书面证据。因此，本研究旨在确定农民的生产限制，海军豆的性状和栽培品种，以及用于减轻其中一些限制的策略。在津巴布韦的Lowveld地区的四个村庄中，采用了参与式农村评估方法，包括样板行走，焦点小组讨论（FGD）以及使用半结构化问卷的正式调查。在四个村庄中的每个村庄中，进行了两次烟气脱硫（男性一个，女性一个）。总共对176个海军豆种植家庭（男性75个，女性101个）进行了采访。使用《社会科学家统计软件包》计算机软件包对家庭访问和烟气脱硫的数据进行了分析。海军豆生产的最重要限制因素是干旱胁迫（女性-86％，男性-73％），高温胁迫（女性-58％，男性-55％），停电（女性-46％，男性-54％） ，土壤肥力差（女性-32％；男性-33％）和豆荚破碎的易感性（女性-32％，男性-43％）。缓解策略包括覆盖（18％），山脊（12％），耕地减少（11％），以及为了保持干旱而耕种以保留更多的土壤水分（11％），而在夜间灌溉（32％）和调整播种日期（29％）用于控制热应激。农民偏爱的性状包括对干旱和高温的耐受性，早熟品种和抗病性。营销限制包括未付款以硬通货的产品，承购人缺乏多样性，高通胀，谷物生产者价格低，付款延迟和承包商违反合同。如果育种计划解决了上述限制并在开发新品种时考虑了农民偏爱的性状，那么改良海军豆品种的采用将得到增加。育种人员应与推广人员密切合作，以确保释放出的栽培品种以适当的农艺包装进行栽培，以提高生产率和高收成。