Symptoms

• Bean pods with black, sunken lesions or reddish-brown blotches most likely have anthracnose, a fungal disease caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum.
• Black, sunken lesions about ½ inch in diameter develop on stems, pods and seedling leaves (cotyledons) but are most prominent on pods.
• A salmon-colored ooze on lesions and the veins on lower leaf surfaces turns black. On lima beans, symptoms are sooty- appearing spots on leaves and pods.
• Anthracnose develops primarily during the spring and fall when the weather is cool and wet, and not during our hot, dry summers. Lima beans are particularly susceptible.

Management

• Prevent this disease by using certified disease-free seed for planting and removing all plant debris after harvest.
• Anthrac-nose can survive in the soil for two years on plant debris or be brought to the garden on infected seeds.
• Do not plant bean seeds in an area that had disease for two to three years. Avoid overhead watering and avoid splashing soil onto the plants when watering.
• Fungicide sprays of fixed copper are the only recommended chemical that can be used on lima beans for anthracnose control.