DISEASES OF BEANS (Phaseolus VUafaris) AND THEIR CONTROL IN

Almost every year in Jamaica the presence of several diseases cause severe loss of yield to the bean crops planted throughout the island. The accompanying financial loss is usually great. This paper presents tne more important diseases of beans encountered' and methods that can be used to control them are given. Some of these diseases are aB follows: Powdery mildew Bacterial blight Anthracnose Leaf spots Rust Fusarium root rot Mosaic Root knot Oidium sp. Xanthomonas phaseoli Colletotr1chum lindemuthianum Cercospora spp. & Isariopsis sp. Uromyces ··appendicula1jus Fusarium spp. Virus Meloidogyne spp. Almost every year in Jamaica the presence of several diseases causes severe loss of yield to the bean crops planted throughout the island. The accompanying financial loss is usually great and the annual importation of dried beans (known locally as red peas) is tremendous. There is also substantial loss of string beans and it is not unusual for a farmer 'to be unable even to meet his planting expenses at the end of Ii bean crop. A number of diseases are carried in the bean seeds and certified disease-free seeds are not usually available. Farmers, therefore, save seeds from crop to crop or purchase plan'ting material from local agents. Disease agents are tLerefore carried from one crop to the next thus contributing to the low yields usually obtained. ,During 1963 work was started by the Plant Protection and the Agronomy DiVisions of the Ministry of Agriculture .and Lands to improve the production of beans in Jamaica by introducing new varieties and selecting seeds for propagation 􀀀~􀀀r􀀀o􀀀m apparently disease free plants. As a result of this work the Charlevoix variety which has a large very red seed was obtained and fairly large quantities are being grown by farmers. This varie'ty, though a heavy bearer, is also susceptible to many diseases and also carries some of the disease causing agents in the seeds.