A bean created by Harris Moran Seed Company is the best bone-building bean, according to the USDA.

Recent research that measured calcium in six green bean varieties revealed that Hystyle contained more bone-building calcium ? actually double its nearest competitor -- than any other commercially grown variety.

While most consumers usually link calcium to milk, researchers at Harris Moran Seed Company have found ways to pack nutrients into Hystyle and other HM vegetables.

"Vegetable breeders have traditionally bred new varieties for the growers who buy their seed, and then assume the nutrients will be there," says Jeff McElroy, vice president of research at Harris Moran in Modesto, CA. "So it made sense to breed for horticultural attributes such as yield, disease resistance and such."

"Breeding for the end user -- the consumer -- is something we've wanted to do for years. We'll still breed for horticultural traits but we'll also make sure it's good for you."

That emphasis on the consumer coincides with the overall renewed interest in nutrition these past few years.

That interest compelled scientists at the Children's Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, to conduct research that compared calcium in snap beans. The idea was to see how foods can better nourish children.

Calcium is especially important for children when their bones are growing. Dairy products such as milk are excellent sources. Beans and other veggies can also provide a substantial portion of the requirements. Additionally, these foods could play a bigger role for children who can't tolerate milk sugar.

In the Houston study, the Hystyle green bean had double the calcium of a variety called Labrador. The reason? Hystyle is better at conserving water, according to plant physiologists Michael Grusak and Kirk Pomper.

Water dilutes calcium moving through a bean plant, reducing the amount reaching the pods.

Tiny pores called stomates open and close to control the speed at which water enters and leaves the plant. This action is genetically and environmentally controlled.

Overall transpiration in Hystyle was about half that of Labrador. The lower transpiration meant higher calcium concentrations in Hystyle xylem stream. The xylem transports liquid and mineral nutrients from roots to shoots, much like arteries carry oxygen-rich blood in humans.

That science speak translated means Hystyle builds strong bones. And seed industry trends show breeding for nutritional content may be the wave of the future.