Chocolate Spot on Broad Beans (Latin name – 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.
People are wondering why French & runner beans go curly.
curly-beans
TopVeg spent a whole summer at Penn State university measuring the angle
of the curve – for plots of beans which were grown with different
amounts of trace elements!
bent-runner-bean
There does not seem to be much literature available about this, so we
asked the Pea Growing Research Organisation why
beans grow curly. This is their answer:
“We are not sure if there is any single reason for pod curvature. Some
varieties are more prone and although we tend to avoid the worst ones,
environmental conditions can be an over-riding factor. Temperatures,
particularly big fluctuations between day and night temperatures can be
associated but some work in the US seems to think that trace element
deficiencies may also be involved.”
Pod curvature in beans is due to several factors:
* temperature – particularly big fluctuations between day and night
* uneven rainfall
* trace element deficiencies
* bean variety - White Apollo is a runner bean variety producing straight beans.
The broad beans are being damaged by thrips.
Click on the photos to enlarge them and see the damage caused by thrips.
ThripDamageBroadBean
Broad beans are producing healthy, long pods in the vegetable garden. Podding the beans is a quick job.
podding-broad-beans
The two varieties (Bunyards Exhibition and Imperial Green Longpod) harvested are different colours, giving an interesting combination.
The early broad beans, planted in November, have cropped heavily but are
now over, & will be replaced with runner beans.
finished-broad-beans
The broad beans went into good soil with a good structure. Thanks to the
bed system, this soil has not been trodden on, because the plants can be
harvested from the paths alongside the beds. So no cultivation work is
necessary. There are no weeds, and therefore the soil need not be disturbed.
The soil is very wet from recent rains, and would easily loose its
structure if moved.
The broad beans will be cut off at soil level, and the runner beans will
be transplanted directly into the broad bean patch.
The bean row has a succession of beans, starting with broad beans planted in November, followed by two later plantings of broad beans, ending with runner beans and french beans.
bean-row
The 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 beans, and the pods have not been affected by the Chocolate Spot fungus.
chocolate-spot-on-beans
The final planting of broad beans, Bunyards Exhibition & Masterpiece Green Long Pod, are taller and less branching than the early variety. They look clean, with little disease. The pods
are developing well.
Bunyards-Exhibition-&-Maste
The runner beans and french beans are streaking up the supports at the far end of the row, spiralling anticlockwise tightly around the pole.
beans-climbing-poles
Now the first lot of broad beans is finished, they will be replaced with more runner beans. So this patch will be double cropped with beans, broad beans at the start of the season, and runner beans to finish the season.
broad-bean-stump
The early broad beans which were sown in November are ready to harvest.
The pods have swollen and the beans inside are properly formed, but
still really small and sweet.
broad-bean-pods
It is always a balance between yield and sweet tenderness.
Gardeners pinch out the tip of Broad Bean plants to prevent damage by
Blackfly.
This video demonstrates the process. Click How to Prevent Blackfly
from Damaging your Beans. Click on the arrow at the bottom
left of the screen to play the video.
Click here for more information on how to prevent blackfly damaging your beans.
Blackfly -Latin name: Aphis fabae (in the family of Aphididae)
Blackfly is a serious pest of broadbeans in the kitchen garden. A whole
mass of shiny black insects cover the growing tips, flower buds and the
underside of young leaves of the broad bean plant.
Keep a sharp look out for blackfly on spring-sown beans when they are in
flower in June. One advantage of sowing broad beans in the autumn is
that they tend to flower early, producing beans in May or June, before
any blackfly appear.
Blackfly suck the sap from the broad bean plant causing stunted growth
with curled, distorted leaves, and poor crop yields.
Discourage blackfly attack by pinching out the growing tips of the broad
bean plants when they are in full flower. Some gardeners pinch out the tops of broad beans when five flowers have formed, or when the first pods have set.
Remember the pinched out tops may be cooked & eaten!
Click this link to see a video of how to pinch out the tops of broad beans.
Blackfly control:
* wash or spray with a mild soap solution
* encourage their natural enemies – ladybirds, hoverfly larvae,
lacewing larvae and parasitic wasps
* Insecticides:
Contact insecticides work when they actually touch the blackfly. They
have short persistence, so thorough treatment, especially of the
underside of leaves, is necessary. Aphids protected by curled leaves are
unlikely to be controlled.
Synthetic pesticides generally give a higher level of control. Always
read the label for instructions on the use of the product and harvest
intervals. The harvest interval is the period of time between spraying
the crop and it being safe to eat.
Today the covers were taken off the early broad beans & placed over the
recently planted seeds.
cover-off-beans
*Honey bees & bumble bees were buzzing about under the polythene,
fertilising the bean flowers.
bee-on-bean-flower
*In gardens exposed to winds, the beans will have to be secured, so that
they do not blow about.
support-beans
bean-with-stake
*Battered plants will loose too much moisture, bruise leaves and loosen
& damage roots.
*The beans can be loosely tied to stakes with string.
tie-bean-to-stake
*If the stems are not fastened, all investment in time & effort in
bringing the plants to this stage will be wasted. Spending time tieing
the beans up will ensure a good harvest.
*The soil between the broad bean rows was hoed. Constant hoeing of the
soil, is quick and easy, if done when the weeds are tiny.
hoe-beans
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