Chocolate Spot on Broad Beans
Botrytis cinerea and Botrytis fabae
Chocolate spot is a fungal disease which attacks Broad Beans in the vegetable garden.The leaves and stems, when affected, are covered with dark brown lesions, which look as though they have been covered in chocolate powder. Causes of chocolate spot:
- overcrouding - dense crop with lush growth
- high humidity - wet season
- acidic growing conditions
- too much nitrogen fertiliser
- winter sown crops more susceptible
To avoid chocolate spot:
- give plants plenty of space
- do not apply nitrogen fertiliser
- burn affected plants after harvest
Effects of Chocolate Spot on Broad Beans
- beans are still edible, although the pods are discoloured
- reduced yield as pods do not fill
- death of plants if severe
A mild attack of Chocolate Spot on broad beans in the vegetable garden is not a disaster. A satisfactory crop of beans may be harvested. It is a warning to give broad beans a healthy start next year with plenty of space for air to be able to circulate round them.
[…] Chocolate Spot on Broad Beans […]
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[…] early broad beans are now over. The second planting of broad beans, Sutton, have suffered from Chocolate Spot. They have not grown as tall as the first planting, but they have produced a reasonable amount of […]
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