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Root Rot of Dry Beans
Systematic monitoring is essential for managing disease in dry beans and recent rainy weather in many parts of the state makes monitoring especially important, according to Art Lamey, Plant Pathologist for the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
To monitor for disease, walk fields in an X or zig-zag pattern.
Rootrot can be a serious problem for some producers. The most common North Dakota root rot is caused by the Rhizoctonia fungus, which favors warm, moist soils.
To check for root rot, dig up plants carefully and knock the soil off the roots. Examine the tap roots for elongate red or red-brown spots. In severe cases, these spots will spread and girdle the tap root. When plants are under moisture stress, such as on hot, sunny, windy days, the plants may wilt, event if the soil is moist.
In areas where the soil has been water-saturated, Pythium root rot may develop. The Pythium fungus is a water mold, and needs free water in the soil in order to infect. Typical symptoms are a soft, tan colored rot of the tap root, often beginning at the tip of the root.
There is no good control for root rot once plants are infected but management practices may reduce the damage. If the crop is planted in rows, cultivate and hill up around the plants. This will stimulate the formation of new roots above the rotted tap root as long as there is some moisture in the soil that is hilled up. These new roots will help to reduce moisture stress and carry the crop through to maturity.
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