In May, I looked at a lima bean field in the Sacramento Valley that showed poor seedling emergence scattered throughout the field (photo 1). I sent samples to the UC Davis Plant Pathology lab and the main pathogen consistently recovered from the roots was Fusarium root rot, a fungal disease caused by Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli. This pathogen is specific to beans and field peas and will not infect other field crops. A few bean seedlings also had Rhizoctonia and Pythium (also fungal pathogens).
Finding Fusarium root rot in a lima bean seedling field was a surprise because this disease is most commonly encountered in established fields during mid- to late season, where it is one of the causes of early maturity ("cut out"). Rhizoctonia and Pythium can cause seedling damping-off in dry beans. However, plants usually outgrow these pathogens, particularly if the seed is treated with a fungicide and conditions favor rapid emergence.
Fusarium solani attacks underground stems and roots of plants. In established plants, early infection is characterized by elongated reddish streaks on the roots. As the disease progresses, these eventually form reddish-brown lesions that will surround the entire root, causing decay. The above ground plant symptoms of affected plants included yellowing, wilting, stunting, and dieback. On seedling plants in the affected field, I observed dieback of the growing point, stems that were a bit swollen, and roots that were brownish and not well developed (Photo 2, diseased roots on left, healthy on right).
Fusarium root rot causes little damage to healthy plants, but under conditions of plant stress due to drought, poor nutrition, or oxygen-stressed, waterlogged soils, Fusarium root rot can cause plant dieback and yield losses, particularly in fields with a long history of bean production. In this particular lima bean field, soil moisture was lost, causing plants to be extremely water stressed. Crop rotation, use of seed treatments, and closely watching field conditions to ensure plants are not stressed will help manage Fusarium root rot. This disease tends to be a problem in fields with a long history of bean production. More information on diseases in dry beans can be found on the newly revised UC IPM guidelines for dry beans.
