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Common Bean Blight
Common dry and snap beans, Phaseolus vulgaris, are
notoriously susceptible to pathogens. Among the numerous bean diseases, common
bacterial blight (CBB) is one of the most economically important and widespread
and is a major constraint to the realization of high yields, uncontaminated seed
and high seed quality. Management of CBB is very difficult through cultivation,
sanitation or chemical applications. Although CBB is seed transmitted, seed
certification programs have been only partially and inconsistently effective in
controlling CBB in the U.S. and Canada.
CBB has been reported to cause yield losses in Michigan of 10%-20%, in Canada
of 38% and in Colombia of 45%. There are about 1 million hectares (ca. 2.4 million
acres) of common beans grown in the U.S. According to the USDA, in 1994 the total
value of the U.S. crop was ca. $628M, of which Michigan dry beans represented ca.
20%, or $121M. A direct loss of 10% of only the Michigan crop, which occurs
periodically, amounts to approximately $12M. These estimates do not reflect
the hidden costs associated with the various certification and inspection
programs and the requirement to buy certified seed grown only in dry western
U.S. states.
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Copyright © October 2001 Integrated Plant Genetics, Inc. -- All Rights Reserved
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