(Phaseolus vulgaris L)
Like OAC Thunder, this white / navy bean (CFIA registration no. 6438) was developed by a University of Guelph team, Tom Smith, Tom Michaels and Peter Pauls who is the current Chair of Plant Agriculture. Released in 2009 OAC Lightning is intended for use in areas with greater than 2600 crop heat units. It has excellent yield potential in either wide or narrow row production and has good disease resistance. It has a high cooking and canning quality. (F.Y.I. In its name OAC stands for the Ontario Agricultural College.)
The complexities of plant breeding are demonstrated by this newish cultivar. Here is its story.
Lightning was derived from the double cross Navigator/ OAC Thunder//AC Compass/ OAC Silvercreek made in 1996 in a growth room. Navigator (ROG345) is a navy bean variety from Rogers Seed Company, which was used because of its upright architecture. The pedigree of OAC Thunder (Michaels and Smith 1999) is Ex Rico SL 1351/W84-129 (F3 SPS). AC Compass (Park and Rupert 2000) was derived from Crestwood/HR14// OAC Laser. OAC Silvercreek was derived from OAC Laser/Cran 74Navigator.
F1 plants from the double cross were grown in the field in 1997 at the Elora Research Station, Elora, Ontario, and all seeds were bulked. The F2 to F4 generations were advanced using the single pod descent (pod bulk). The F2 and F4 generations 
were grown in a winter nursery in New Zealand.
The F3 generation was grown at the Elora Research Station in the summer of 1998. Single plant selections for early maturity, upright plant habit, andhigh pod number were made from F5 population bulk plots in the field at the Elora Research Station in 1999. The F5 derived F6 line (F5:6) was grown in 2000 at the Elora Research Station in the field in plant rows. The F5:7 generation was grown in preliminary yield trials in 2001 and the F5:8 generation was grown in advanced yield trials in 2002, both at the Elora Research station. A cooperative advanced trial was introduced in 2003 with Dr. S. J. Park at AAFC Harrow. An equal number of F5:9 generation entries from the University of Guelph and AAFC were grown in identical yield trials at Elora and St. Thomas. The selection criteria for F5:6 to F5:9 lines included the same agronomic traits as for the F5 population as well as high seed yield. Entries from advanced trials were entered into the Ontario Pulse Crop Committee’s Registration and Performance trials in 2004 (at St. Thomas, Kippen, Brussels, Elora) and 2005(at St. Thomas, Kippen, Granton, Elora, and KCAT) as well as grown at the Elora Research Station to produce F5:F10 and F5:F11 generations. One hundred single plants from the F5:11 generation, grown in a growth room in the winter of 2005-2006, were rogued for a uniform plant type and seed from the remaining plants was bulked and sent to Twin Falls, Idaho, USA, for breeder seed production in 2006.
Files provided by the Dr. Peter Pauls, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph.
