(Phaseolus vulgaris)
With a name like OAC Thunder, it’s clear that bean breeders have a sense of humour. Commonly known as “white beans,” Navy beans are available in grocery stores in packages of dry beans or in cans with a tomato sauce. They are a wonderfully inexpensive source of vegetable protein, are low in fat, cholesterol free while being high in dietary fibre and complex carbohydrates. They even have their own share of vitamins and minerals.
Developed in the Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph by researchers Tom Michaels and Tom Smith,, who named it. OAC Thunder was released in 1998 into the marketplace. They observe, “OAC Thunder is a mid-maturity white bean cultivar with excellent yield potential and is intended for use in either wide or narrow row production in areas of Ontario with more than 2600 corn heat units (CHU).”
The collaborative bean breeding program located at the University of Guelph https://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/research/bean_breeding/ combines the work of Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada and University of Guelph scientists to develop new varieties for Ontario growers. Their crops are marketed throughout the world.
With files from Dr Peter Pauls, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph
