Seed of old varieties is an important source of genetic variability and plants adaptability. Broad
genetic diversity is the base for successful breeding processes and adaptations to various
environmental conditions and pathogens. In last five to six decades disappearance of old cultivars
has been accelerated, mainly due to introduction of new cultivars based on principles of modern
genetics into agricultural production. There was a cessation of cultivated plants previously used,
and agricultural production and human diet is based on four main crops: wheat, corn, rice and
potatoes. Large arable areas have been planted with single genotype of newly created cultivars
resulting in great genetic impoverishment, especially, of the most cultivated plants. In that way,
certain traits, particularly those connected with high yield, have been favored. Thus, the
maintenance and evaluation of old cultivar’s seeds have been recognized as extremely important
for all of humanity and its future. The research presented in this paper has been conducted on
the territory of southwestern Fruska gora Mt. as a part of the project „Za Vojvodjanskog paora”
(2011-2012) financed by Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development,
Republic Serbia. Considering the extreme importance of Fruska gora Mt. for Vojvodina Province
and the ongoing Master Plan for the mountain’s Sustainable Development, idea of the project
was to collect seeds and planting material of crops, vegetables and wild plants and to examine the
state of the mountain’s genetic resources. Of all the collected samples during the project, 14
samples of snap beans and 21 samples of beans have been analyzed in this paper. For all the
accessions, 1000-seed mass, seed color, seed shape and phaseolin type was determined. Seed
color was determined visually. Based on the ratios of: (i) seed length and seed width, and (ii) seed
thickness and seed width, collected seed samples were classified into five basic groups of seed
shape: round, ellipsoid, cylindrical, semi-flat and kidney-shaped. Seeds of collected bean samples
have three, while snap bean seeds have four different shapes, and none of them was round. Seed
coats of bean accessions were of five different colors, while in the snap bean group seed coats
were of three different colors. Seeds of collected bean and snap bean accessions were
predominantly white and cylindrical in shape. Mass of 1000 seeds ranged between 104.9 and
634.96 g. Averaged 1000-seed mass of bean accessions was 379.44g. Snap beans had smaller seed, with 247.98 g of 1000-seed mass in average. T phaseolin type dominated, while S type of
phaseolin was present in six bean samples, and in snap bean accessions numbered NK2/12 and
NK40/12. T phaseolin type was mostly present in seeds of snap beans that were white, while no
significant correlation between seed color and phasolin type was determined in the beans
