Efforts to develop Eclipse began in 1996, using parent materials to combine erect plant growth habit, disease resistance, high yield potential and early maturity into one variety. Selection for these and other traits began in 1998 in various trials conducted in North Dakota and Puerto Rico, with disease testing occurring in greenhouse and laboratory facilities on the NDSU campus. Eclipse was entered into yield trials in 2000.
Eclipse is an early maturing, high yielding black bean with ovoid seed and a dull (opaque) black seed coat, which is typical of the black bean market class. Eclipse has purple flowers, a glossy dark green leaf and exhibits an erect (Type II upright, short vine) growth habit with excellent lodging resistance.
Eclipse is approximately three days earlier in maturity than the popular black bean variety T-39 and exhibits a synchronous plant dry-down at harvest. Eclipse is resistant to bean common mosaic virus, anthracnose race 7 and many races of rust currently found in North Dakota. It produces a canned product similar to T-39. Averaged across 14 locations in North Dakota, Eclipse produced 1.7 hundredweight per acre higher yield than T-39.
This variety is protected by the Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 as amended in 1994 (“PVPA”).
The PVPA prohibits, among other things, the propagation,
multiplication, production, sale, use or advertisement of this
protected variety without either an assignment or license from the NDSU
Research Foundation. Please use the “Contact by Email” link below if
interested in obtaining a license for this variety.