Integrated Plant Genetics | Common Bean Blight

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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