Green Beans
Green Beans
Green Beans
This Green Bean Ecological Guide was developed by the FAO IPM Programme
in Vietnam. This guide is compiled from many documents and reports from
Vietnam and abroad on beans, in general, and French beans, in particular.
Some technical issues in this ecological guide are new and complicated,
requiring knowledge from many related sectors. In addition, the guide was
prepared over a short span of time and may have some errors. We hope to get
feedback and contributions from all readers, IPM trainers and farmers in order to
improve it later.
I. General Introduction 1
3. Biological facts 3
3.1. Botanical characteristics: taxonomy, morphology
3.2. Growth stages and development
3.3. Relation between vegetative growth and pod development
3.4. Abiotic factors, growth and development
1. Crop rotation 7
1.1. Importance in relation with nutrient availability in the soil
1.2. Importance in relation with pest and disease occurrence
2. Varietal selection 8
2.1. Demand and supply: how to choose a variety
2.2. Characteristics of commonly available varieties
3. Seed preparation 9
3.1. Healthy seed
3.2. Selection criteria, method
3.3. Storage
3.4. Seed treatment
4. Land preparation 10
4.1. Soil type/characteristics in relation to suitability for green
bean
4.2. Preparation
5. Crop establishment 12
ii
7. Water management 15
7.1. Water needs at seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages
7.2. Method: irrigation, drainage
9. Weed management 17
9.1. Impact of weeds on crop development
9.2. Timing
9.3. Method of weed management
12. Harvesting 67
Appendices
References 68
Major diseases of green beans 70
Major insect pest of green beans 75
iii
Most crops in the Fabaceae or Leguminosae family grown for human consumption
are annual crops and some perennial varieties. The vegetable legumes have bushy
types (such as French bean) and crawling types (such as green peas, long bean,
broad bean, etc.). The latter are characterized with new fast growing branches and
quickly climbing high. Most of the vegetable legumes in this group originated from
the tropical regions in Central Asia and South America. They need high temperature
for their growth and development. Low temperature inhibits their development,
makes flowering difficult and results in less fruits. The optimum temperature for
crops in this group is from 20-30oC.
The light intensity of the typical short day length is suitable for green beans. The
impact of sunlight will be strongest at the growth stages before flowering. Short day
length during the vegetative growth period will cause stunted growth, reduced plant
height, number and length of nodes.
The roots of fruit-vegetable legumes penetrate about 40-70 cm into the soil and
expand widely to the surroundings. Leguminous crops are suitable to soil types that
are soft and loamy and are rich in phosphate and potassium.
In Vietnam, many leguminous crops are currently used as vegetables such as green
peas (Pisum sativum L.), French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), long bean (Vigna
sinensis) and broad bean (Dolichos lablab). The most popular ones are still green
peas, French bean, long bean and broad bean.
Green beans are grown year round in all the vegetable cultivation areas. Different
varieties in each region have different growing seasons. Green peas are grown from
mid-September to mid-October or sometimes last until November. Meanwhile, ®Ëu
tr¹ch is sown from September to February (in the northern midlands) or to April (in
the Southern cultivation areas). Long bean which is suitable to warm and hot
weather is often planted in the summer-autumn season from April to September.
Like other vegetables, bean production has many problems. Insect pests and
diseases, the major problem, occurs in all bean-growing areas and in every season.
They reduce crop yield and reduce the growing area. In addition, because it is
seasonal and perishable, the market for beans is one factor that affects crop
production.
2.1. History
Bean varieties such as green peas, French bean and long bean have been planted
for their fruits or pods for vegetables in many regions in the world since 6,000 years
ago. It is possible to find wild beans everywhere. Bean varieties originated from
different places or countries. Green bean originated from Central and East Asia,
Northeastern Africa and the Mediterranean. French bean appeared about 8,000
years ago with its origin from Latin American, Mexico, Peru and Colombia. The
origin of long bean was found in Southwest China. All these beans are at present
planted in many places throughout the world such as Asia, Africa and America.
Based on the botanical characteristics, beans are classified into four groups
according to shape, growth characteristics, number of nodes after flowering, height
of the plant, and shape of the plant stem. These are the following:
• Determinate short plant
• Indeterminate short plant
• Indeterminate decumbent plant
• Indeterminate vine plant
Beans are planted for their fruits or seeds used as fresh, for frying or making soup or
for processing into canned products. Fresh fruits and seeds of beans have high
content of vitamins A and C, the latter contained especially in the bean sprout.
Furthermore, the sprout also contains other vitamins.
In many areas in the world such as India and Pakistan, fruits and seeds of legumes
are considered as a main source of protein. This kind of protein is easily digested by
human beings.
Beans account for 5% of the total vegetable consumption of man. All kinds of beans
can be planted in the garden or in small areas to meet family’s demands. Part of the
fruits harvested from these areas is supplied to local markets. However, there are
no statistics to support this information.
Beans are plants that favor warm and wet weather so they are suitable to many
regions of Vietnam. Many crops of beans can be planted in a year and in different
geological conditions. However, the most serious matters to be dealt with by farmers
when planting beans are the following:
Applying proper cultivation methods combined with IPM will reduce damage by
insect pests and diseases on beans. Some major diseases of beans such as
damping-off, bean mosaic virus and soil-borne diseases such as root rot can be
prevented by proper cultivation practices. Growing resistant varieties effectively
helps reduce damage by insect pests and diseases.
Rehabilitating seeds or using hybrid (F1) varieties will ensure quality and high yield of
beans. In some cases, hybrid varieties give higher yield than pure varieties.
3. Biological facts
Root: - The main root of the bean plant is called taproot. After germination, the root
germ grows straight and penetrates deeply into the soil from 40-80 cm. Lateral roots
that grow from the taproot establish in the root layers that become thick at 20-40 cm.
The root system of the green bean normally develops vigorously at the initial stage.
The system stops developing when plants reach the stages of flowering and pod
formation.
Leaf: - Leaves of green beans often grow in pairs, with the leaf blades divided into
lobes. Newly-formed leaves are small and greenish. At the mature stage, leaves
are not flat and are toothed.
Pod and seed: - Pods of vegetable bean crops such as broad bean and French
bean are big. Each fruit has 7-12 seeds and sometimes 15 seeds. Fruits gradually
develop and make plump seeds. When fruits become round-shaped, it means they
have reached the stage best for consumption either for cooking or canning.
Fruits can be harvested for seeds when mature. The seeds may be taken by
growers either for planting or other commercial purposes.
Seeds of green beans are round with different colors such as white, yellow, brown or
black. The seeds can weigh much such as 1,000 seeds of French bean weigh about
200-300 grams.
Green bean completes a life cycle, from seed to seed, in one season. Beans are
usually grown for a few months, although they can be cropped for 12 months or
longer when growing conditions (water, fertilization, etc.) are optimal and plants are
not exhausted by diseases or insect pests.
Green bean requires 50-70 hot days to harvest. Growth and development of early
maturing varieties is about 50 days, common varieties about 60 days and late
maturing varieties about 70 days.
Fruiting stage
Vegetative stages
Reproductive stages
When a bean seed germinates, it will develop continuously until its flowers can be
seen. If plants do not flower, they are not considered as mature. Some crops
require long day lengths and low temperatures to flower. The green bean often
requires lights of short day length to flower.
A chain of advantages follows if the bean plant has a good leaf and stem
development stage. The plant can compete better with weeds. It will have better
photosynthesis and therefore can generate more nutrients for the plant. A good
vegetative stage will result in plants with more flowers and fruits. Other plants cease
development of leaves and stems when their flowers appear while legumes still
develop their stems even in the reproductive growth stage. The more this stage can
be developed, the better for flowers and fruits to be generated.
Effects of temperature
Green bean does not require high temperature unlike soybean or mungbean.
Temperature requirement ranges from 10oC-30oC, but the optimum is 20oC.
Temperature requirement is very strict and may greatly affect crop timing. In
northern Vietnam, the best time to grow green bean is the winter-spring season
(from November to March of the following year) because temperature at that time is
about 20oC.
Effects of light
Green beans favor lights of short day length. The effects of short day length is
strongest in the vegetative stage and before flowering stage because it helps to
Effects of humidity
All kinds of green beans require high humidity. They can be grown in areas with
rainfall of 400 mm/year, but the optimum is areas with humidity of 1000 mm/year.
Green beans have low ability to tolerate drought but the crop will die if it is flooded
for 48-72 hours.
Most green bean varieties are suitable for growing on sandy loam, loamy-light
textured soil with good drainage. Low soil pH level is suitable for bean development.
The crop will be weak and give low yield if they are grown on soil with high alkalinity.
1. Crop rotation
Crop rotation reduces fertility degradation and nutrient deficiency. When the same
crop is planted in the same field every season, there will be a continuous
consumption of the same nutrients from the soil. Adding chemical fertilizers will
supply only part of the nutrients that are consumed, mostly N, P and K. Adding
chemical fertilizers containing the deficient nutrients will not solve the problem. It is
necessary to introduce crop rotation and supply organic matter to the soil. Rotating
with green manure and nitrogen fixing crops to the rotation schedule is therefore
recommended.
Some of the more common serious pests and diseases which live in the soil attack a
range of plants within the same botanical family - but not others. If the kinds of
plants they attack are continuously grown in the same field, the pests and diseases
can build up to serious populations. Once a soil-borne disease has entered a field it
is very difficult to get rid of. If there is a break of several seasons or even several
years when other crops (of a different crop family) are grown, the pest populations or
disease incidence may be reduced and eventually disappear. This is the main
reason for rotating crops.
Rotation is most effective against diseases that attack only one crop. However,
controlling many diseases that infect several crops in the same plant family requires
rotation to a crop from an entirely different family. Unfortunately, some pathogens
such as those causing wilts and root rots, attack many families and rotation is
unlikely to reduce the disease.
2. Varietal selection
The selection criteria for varieties vary on the consumption purposes. Most green
bean varieties are used fresh, thus varietal selection is related to nutrient contents of
the pod. Some other bean varieties are used for getting seeds and for eating, thus
varietal selection is related to seed yield and high nutrient content.
The criteria for varietal selection for green bean are simple. However, there are
some specific characteristics that breeders should consider. For example, selection
criteria depends on the consumption purposes, pods used for seed keeping are
usually selected from good plants, low disease infection and from the second fruiting.
Like some other crops, French bean and other beans are propagated by seed,
therefore seeds play a very important role in determining fruit yield. Farmers have
some criteria for selecting seeds for sowing such as seed purity and percentage of
germination.
The requirements for bean seeds are: seed purity is 99%, percentage of mixture is
0.05% and no weed seeds. The seeds are light yellow, weight of 1000 seeds (P<
1000 seeds) should range from 200-300 grams, and number of seeds/fruit is 15 - 50.
3.2. Selection criteria and method (in the field, at harvest, before planting)
To get bean seeds for propagation, fields of different bean varieties should be at
least 2 kms away from each other. Normally, only 3 or 4 pods/plant can be
harvested for getting seeds. Often, pods in the middle section of the plant are
collected.
After the first harvest, pods in the middle section of plant are kept while female
flowers which open later are removed to have more nutrients for the seed pods.
Seed pods are picked when the ripened pods on the plants are dry. To get the
seeds, the pods are exposed to sunlight for 2 or 3 days. The pod skin is then
opened to get seeds. The seeds are continuously exposed to sunlight for 5-6 times.
Hybrid varieties should not be kept for seeds for the next season.
3.3. Storage
Like other vegetable seeds, bean seeds easily lose their germination ability if they
are stored under normal conditions. In order to keep seeds for the next season, two
methods are applied: - close storage and cold storage.
• Close storage - dried seeds are placed in bottles, jars, pots with some lime
underneath to avoid condensation. The containers should be closed carefully
with lids. With this method, seeds can be stored for 3-4 years.
• Cold storage - dried seeds are placed in paper or plastic bags and then
placed in a cold room with temperatures of 0-4°C. With this method, seeds
can be stored for 5-10 years.
Seed treatment is aimed to disinfect the seeds or protect them against pests that
may pose hazards during germination and subsequent stages of plant growth.
Some seed treatment methods can also stimulate seeds to germinate quickly. The
seed treatment may be physical or chemical.
Physical treatment: - may consist of soaking in warm water or applying dry heat.
The duration of treatment depends on the seed structure and its skin thickness.
Bean seeds are soaked in water at 50ºC for 120 minutes due to thick skin. Heat
treatment, however, is not normally a good practice because it tends to reduce
germination. The viability of heat-treated seeds also decreases with continued
storage after treatment. Therefore, alternative methods must be explored before
using heat treatment.
In addition to these two methods, in FFS (Farmer’s Field School), we can simply
treat seeds by using alcohol. Soak seeds in 70% alcohol for 2-4 minutes to eliminate
fungus or bacteria on the seeds. Afterwards, clean seeds with distilled water and dry
them before sowing. However, sometimes farmers sow seeds right after seed
treatment.
4. Land preparation
4.1. Soil type/characteristics in relation to suitability for green bean
4.2. Preparation
The green bean root system develops and absorbs nutrients poorly, thus its
requirement for the soil type is stricter than other crops. Sandy loam or sandy soils
with pH level of 5.5-6.5 are suitable for growing bean because it absorbs heat faster
than other soils in the spring season and its small particle structure helps prevent
seedlings from collapsing due to rain and wind.
10
Soil productivity is defined as the capacity of the soil to produce a specific crop (or
sequence of crops) under a specific management system that includes planting date,
fertilization, irrigation schedule, tillage, and pest control. Soil productivity is very
closely related to the depth of the topsoil. In many cases, thinner topsoil will have a
lower ability to supply water and nutrients. Soil productivity depends largely on the
kind of soil and local environmental conditions. A topsoil of 20-40 cm deep is
suitable for growing vegetables and long-root crops.
b) Plowing. Like other vegetable crops, the soil for green bean does not require to
be too fine. If it is too fine, it will cover void space for air. Soil structure affects root
distributions, adventitious roots and root quality. According to some studies, 80% of
green bean roots develop and distribute in a layer of 20 mm. The topsoil on beds
should be 1-3 cm or 5 cm high. When raising beds, it is necessary to make the
topsoil finer than the underneath layer. This is a basic technical requirement of
raising beds for vegetables.
c) Raising beds. Length of beds depends on the terrain, but should not be more
than 100 m. If the bed is too long, it is not convenient for field care, watering, and
fertilization. The width of the bed is normally 100-120 cm, depending on the
cultivation condition in each area. In order to prevent some soil-borne diseases,
especially root rot disease (see part 10.2), raising beds for green bean is very
important. The disease damage is often serious in low, flooded beds. Higher beds
may reduce disease incidence. In some areas, farmers often prepare beds with a
height of 25-30 cm to avoid flooding during heavy rain.
The shape of raised beds may be different depending on the season. During
summer season when it is rainy, it is advisable to prepare high and narrow raised
11
5. Crop establishment
Like other legume roots, green bean roots are sensitive. Hence, direct-seeding can
not be done. Banana leaf pots can be used to avoid damaging roots during
transplanting in the fields. The bean crop develops quickly in the fields even when
conditions are not ideal. Direct seeding can increase the number of seasons. Seeds
can be sown in the field/leaf pots even before the previous crop is harvested. This
allows planting of the seedlings immediately after harvesting the previous crop,
reducing the period when the field is unproductive.
Direct-seeding always requires three to four times more than the quantity of seeds
needed when transplanting. When the cost of the seed is high, as in F1 hybrid seed,
transplanting may be recommended instead of direct-seeding.
6. Nutrients
Green bean needs a lot of nitrogen. The nitrogen source for green bean is often
from the air. Too much nitrogen can cause excessive branches and slow pod
ripening. Phosphorus (P) is a very important nutrient for seed formation, making
pods ripen faster and uniformly. Many studies have shown that a combination of
different kinds of fertilizers with P is very important.
In general, fertilizer need of beans changes at each growth and development stage.
The crop absorbs nitrogen mostly at trellising stage and before flowering. Nitrogen
uptake will be reduced when the plant forms seeds and pods are ripening.
Soil organic materials are very important for the crop. They affect chemical and
physical soil characteristics such as water holding capacity and capillarity as well as
micro-organisms' activities. One of the most serious problems of farmers, however,
12
Poultry and cattle manures, such as chicken dung, cow pat, and pig manure have
necessary nutrients for plants, such as N, P, and K while peats provide mostly N.
Soybean meal has 7% N and fish scrap, 9% N. These figures are much higher than
poultry manure (4%) and cattle manure (1.5%).
Green manures, such as legume crops and wild crops also have significant amount
of nitrogen. However, other nutrients such as P and K are not available in or
available in low amounts. Green manure is often composted with some amount of
animal manure. Green manure provides a good ratio of C/N for soil, increases
population and stimulates the activity of micro-organisms making the soil crumbly.
However, farmers should not apply green manure directly on green beans.
The bean plant requires intensive cultivation with composted manure of 20-30
tons/ha. The amount of manure, however, can be reduced by adding some other
organic fertilizers, such as biofertilizer or peats. Organic fertilizers are often used as
basal dressing, due to its slow releasing process compared to inorganic fertilizers.
Farmers often apply all organic fertilizer at one time for basal application.
6.2.2. Compost
Compost has enough nutrient contents for green bean. It has high percentage of
humus that is very good for improving soil. Compost application helps to increase
population and activities of micro-organisms as well as reduce infection of some soil-
borne diseases. Like other pod vegetables, green beans often have serious
problems with soil-borne diseases such as root rot, damping-off, or Fuzarium wilt. It
has been found that applying fresh manure may increase root rot incidence in bean
fields. (Fields without basal dressing of fresh manure do not show disease
occurrence or disease incidence is low). Root knot nematodes often damage
cucumber fields where undecomposed manure has been applied. This disease
damages crop in the next seasons and even crops of other families.
In some countries, antagonistic fungi or bacteria are added to the compost just after
the hot phase, when the compost is cooling down. When antagonists are added at
that time, they can quickly build up their populations resulting to effective disease
suppression.
Inorganic fertilizer is also important and is commonly used in vegetable and bean
production. Applying organic fertilizer only can not provide enough nutrients for the
13
The bean crop needs more potassium, than nitrogen and phosphorous. The
requirement for each element changes based on the crop development stages. At
the start of the growing season, plants need nitrogen and phosphorous after sowing
to develop roots, stem and leaves. During flowering and fruit setting stages, the
plants need more potassium. Inorganic fertilizer is often applied as top dressing.
Nitrogen should be applied as top dressing (near the base of the plant) at different
times and at the end of harvest so that plants have enough nutrients to feed
additional flower sets. These flower sets may give a stable yield of about 120-150
kg/sao.
For example, in order to get the yield of 12,000 pods/ha of bush bean (green or
yellow pods), it needs the following amount of nutrients from the soil:
N 80 kg
P2O5 30 kg
K2O 100 kg
To get a yield of 14,000 pods/ha of pole bean, it needs the following amount of
nutrients from the soil:
N 120 kg
P2O5 35 kg
K2O 150 kg
(Source: Vegetable Production Training Manual, AVRDC, Taiwan, 1992)
Every person, every book or guide will give another recommendation for
bean fertilization.
The only way to determine the best type, amount, timing and application
techniques of fertilization for your area, your field, your crop, is to
Experiment!
14
Like other vegetable crops, green bean requires frequent watering during its growth
development stages. However, it can not tolerate flooding and it is necessary for
vegetable growers to carry out systematic watering.
The bean crop requires frequent watering. After transplanting, watering can be done
twice per day if it is sunny. Watering often lasts 2-3 days.
When seedlings are grown in wet soil for a long time, they are weakened and
become more susceptible to diseases. Hence the fungi causing damping-off can
grow and spread easily.
Proper irrigation is critical for maintaining high yields and quality. Soils with
adequate organic matter usually have a high water holding capacity and do not need
frequent irrigation. The soil type does not affect the amount of total water needed
but does influence frequency of water application. Lighter soils need more frequent
water applications but less water applied per application. Sandy soils may require
water at more frequent intervals as water drains off quickly.
Where irrigation facilities exist, there are sometimes opportunities for manipulating
pests. Where the soil is leveled, it is in some cases possible to flood the field with
water or to dry the soil out to control pests and weeds. Some pest insects that
survive in the soil like cutworms and nematodes and some weeds can be drowned
by putting the field under water. This should be done before transplanting the crop.
The field has to be under water for about four weeks and will need some time to dry
up properly before a new crop is planted. This method does not control all soil-borne
diseases!
The irrigation method may also have consequences for insect population and
disease severity. Overhead irrigation can increase disease incidence. The spores
of bean rust disease, for example, can easily germinate when the leaves are wet.
The use of ditch or furrow irrigation is usually preferred to overhead irrigation.
Ditches also ensure rapid drainage of excess soil moisture during the rainy season.
However, if the field has soil-borne disease, try to avoid ditch or furrow irrigation.
15
8.1. Importance
All kinds of bean used as vegetables are soft, climbing plants of about 70-220 cm in
height. Bean stems, leaves and vines develop quickly in the first two weeks after
transplanting. Staking and pruning can improve yield and fruit size as well as reduce
fruit rot incidence. It is also more convenient for crop care and harvest and gives
early harvest.
The bean plant develops stems with strong climbing ability quickly. Hence, trellises
should be established early. Usually, trellising should be done when a plant is about
30 cm high (10-15 days after sowing) and vines start curling.
Like other climbing plants of the cucurbit or solanaceous family, there are several
methods of trellising beans. In some areas, bamboo poles, wood stakes, PVC pipes
or other sturdy material are used to provide support and keep the fruit and foliage off
the ground. The trellis is arranged either in a lean-to or tunnel structure, but a lean-
to structure is more common. The trellis should be 1.8-2 m high, constructed from
stakes 1.2-1.8 m apart, almost similar to the plant row spacing.
Lean-to type: This type of trellis is used widely in all bean growing areas. The
stakes are joined between two adjoining beds forming an A-shape structure (see
illustration below). This type is applied where they have two rows on one bed. This
can be applied also for single-row, in that case horizontal stakes are installed at the
top joining all other beds (Palada et al, 2003). The stakes support the climbing vines
and lateral stems. Strings are used to secure adjoining stakes. Plantings are easier
to manage and more productive when 2 m-high rather than 1 m-high string trellises
are used.
The advantage of this method is that locally available materials, such as bamboo can
be used. Staking and trellising will increase fruit yield and size, reduce fruit rot, and
make field caring and harvesting easier. This method, however, is costly and
requires more labor if the material used is not durable.
Tunnel type: Plants are grown inside an arch-shape structure made of either PVC or
galvanized iron pipe (1.8-2 m long and 1.2-2 m apart from each other). The centre of
the arch is 2.1 m high (see illustration below). During bean development, tie main
stem and lateral stems into pipe. This should be done early, 10-15 days after
germination. This method requires bigger capital for initial cost of materials, but
these materials are more durable, resulting in lower cost for the later seasons. This
type is commonly applied for other crops such as squash, gourd, luffa, cucumber,
and tomatoes. It is not commonly applied for beans due to difficulty in harvesting
fresh pods.
16
9. Weed management
Weeds in a bean field are usually unwanted because they affect crop growth,
development and yield. The competition of bean and weeds are fierce in the
vegetative stage and the growing process. Yields are higher when the field is weed
free.
Weeds may harbor insect pests and diseases or form breeding places for insect
pests, vectors and diseases. The plant Trianthema portulacastrum is host of chili
mosaic virus that infects potato, tomato and other vegetable crops. Aphid, the vector
of virus Y causing potato disease resides on Solanum nigrum plant.
Weed control should be done early in the growing period from week 1 to week 3 after
sowing. In the first 2-3 weeks, hand weeding by hoe or other tools is very effective
to control weeds and break the scum layer on the upper soil surface. In addition,
hand weeding reinforces activities of microorganisms, increases nutrient absorption
of the plant, limits root development so that plant nutrients are concentrated for
development of leaves and branches, and increase crop yield. Only if necessary,
herbicides can be applied before or after sowing to control weeds.
Breaking up the soil is a good technique for controlling weeds. Hilling-up the soil
should be done before plants climb on the trellis or when the plant is 10-15 cm high.
As such, the plant can produce new roots and avoid from collapsing or crawling on
17
Mulching is a very commonly used method for weed control. Mulch is any material
placed on the surface of the soil. It can be organic matter such as straw or plastic
sheets. Organic matter is more available and cheaper than plastic sheets. If straw
is used, be sure that it is weed-free. Mulching can be done before or after sowing
seeds.
Weeds can also be controlled by spraying herbicides. However, beans are very
sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, if the use of chemicals is needed, be sure that the
herbicide is suitable to the crop and will not cause leaf burn or tip curling. Herbicides
use to control weeds in bean fields will depend on cultivation conditions in each area.
It must be remembered that negative effects of herbicides are recorded in many
places in the world.
18
Pythium spp. is available everywhere in the soil as they have a wide host range.
They can also stay in the fresh undecomposed organic matter in the soil and the
surviving oospores. The population of Pythium spp. can increase in several plants
and the infection level of disease caused by Pythium spp on bean can
simultaneously develop with the increase of the disease source.
19
• Good soil preparation. Residues from the previous crops must be completely
decomposed before transplanting new crop. To do so, deep plowing of the
field is required before planting. The debris of the previous crops must be
deeply buried, about 10 cm in the soil. If the debris is buried at this depth, the
disease-causing fungi can not live as it only can develop above or near the
soil surface.
• Proper drainage can help reduce the infection.
20
21
S. rolfsii often occurs with other fungus in the soil such as Phytophthora parasitica
and Rhizoctonia solani to cause diseases such as damping-off, root rot and stem rot.
Sclerotium rolfsii can be propagated through water, infected soil, farming tools,
agricultural machines, and infected seedlings and exist under the mushroom nucleus
form mixed among seeds. Undecomposed debris can also be a disease source.
The use of ammonia seems to limit the disease development. However, the reason
for this phenomenon can not be explained. It may have something to do with
underdevelopment of the fungi or changing the susceptibility of the host plant or
increasing the population of antagonistic organisms in the soil. Calcium may also
have something to do with the process. The calcium fertilizer level in the nucleus
22
23
The disease mainly damages legumes, solanaceous crops (tomato, potato and
pepper) and cucurbits (cucumber, watermelon, and melon).
The source of disease exists for a long time in the field and the fungus, Rhizoctonia
solani can survive on decaying and dead debris in soil.
24
Natural enemies/antagonists
The efficiency of the antagonistic fungus, e.g., Trichodema can be tested to manage
the disease. It is suggested that the best way to manage the disease is to use a
combination of the antagonist fungi and compost. In America, a fusaric acid-
resistant mutant of the virus Pseudomonas solanacearum is sold as a biological
protection agent against Rhizoctonia solani (www29).
Several other antagonistic micro-organisms against this disease have been studied
such as Bacillus spp. (Silveira, 1995) and Streptomyces sp. (El-Raheem, 1995).
Most of these studies were done in laboratories so results are not yet applicable to
field situations.
25
26
Disease can also be reduced in soils rich in compost. Compost contains many
different micro-organisms that either compete with pathogens for nutrients and/or
produce certain substances (called antagonists) that reduce pathogen survival and
growth. Thus, an active population of microorganisms in the soil or compost out
competes pathogens and will often prevent disease. Researchers have found that
27
28
Causal agents: Fungi, Uromyces appendiculatus (Reben) Wint var. typical Arth
Normally, the rust point is exposed on the lower leaf surface. On the upper leaf
surface, the yellowish brown stain appears. Spore points can appear on both lower
and upper leaf surfaces. At the end of the growth stage, dark red spores and
sometimes black spores may be found on the fruit skin.
The spring spore is single, with oval or undetermined shape, colorless, and has a
thin capsule 20-42 x 16-28 in diameter with many small thorns. The spring spore
often appears in high temperature areas. In regions with hot and wet climate, this
29
In cold regions, the fungi, Uromyces phaseoli lives through winter under the winter
spores. The winter spores have oval or sphere shapes, single, dark brown, with flat
and smooth pedicel, with short stem at the root and prominent peak-like nipple. The
spores exist in infected debris and germinate when spring comes.
Leaves infected by bean rust disease become dry, scorched and drop. In the
process of causing damage on leaves, the climbers of the French bean also drop
and consequently the yield is reduced.
Natural Enemies/Antagonists
Unknown
30
31
Pathogens can successfully develop and form many substances under dry
conditions. However, the disease will quickly develop when humidity is high or when
there is average wind and low humidity. Symptoms in the field can be seen right
after flowering or near maturation. The yield loss is caused by picking infected fruits
when the harvest period is coming. Seeds can be infected and cause damage. The
damage on red bean often goes with fungal development on the seed hilum. On
other legume crops, fungal development can be seen at the hilum and other areas of
the seed coat. The infection level of seeds varies with the kind of legume crop. The
existence of the fungi P.griseola in seeds reduces with time.
32
33
Whitish, talcum-like, powdery fungal growth develops on both leaf surfaces and on
petioles and stems. Symptoms usually develop first on older leaves, on shaded
lower leaves, and on abaxial leaf surfaces. Older, fruit-bearing plants are affected
first. Infected leaves usually wither and die, and plants senesce prematurely.
34
The optimum temperature for disease development is 20-27ºC and infection can
occur between 10ºC and 32ºC. Under field conditions, powdery mildew development
is arrested at 38ºC and higher temperatures.
Natural enemies/antagonists
Unknown
35
The disease can also destroy the stem and fruit of bean crops, depending on the
infection in the seeds and favorable weather conditions. The small spots with water
are also seen on fruits. The disease stains turn from red to brown and finally make
fruits crisp.
36
Natural Enemies/Antagonists
Unknown
37
Severely infected seeds can be the cause of infection when plants mature. At first,
the dripping spots look like needle stains on lower leaf surfaces. These spots turn
into brown after several days. The surrounding areas of the spot turn into yellowish
green. The yellow areas surrounding the spots and the disease stains look like
bright haloes. Hence, the disease is called bacterial halo blight disease.
38
In case of bacterial halo blight, seed infection can also be spread by the talc from
infected bean plants. This partially contributes to disease severity although the
plants may have come from seeds certified to have originated from disease–free
plants. Dusts from seeds in storage or from harvesting tools contribute to disease
spread.
Infected plants also cause the spread of disease. Disease spread from plant to plant
is caused by association, by splashing from rain, wind, hail, overflow or farming
tools. The bacterial halo blight can over winter in the debris of infected plants and
exist in stems and fruits of infected bean crops as well as remain in the field during
winter.
The disease mainly causes injury on leaves and fruits and consequently severely
affects fruit yield. The disease appears and damages the leaves affecting the
photosynthetic process of the plants. If plants are heavily infected by the disease,
the leaves drop down, wilt and die.
Natural Enemies/Antagonists
In America, the biological prevention agent - Streptomycin is sold under the name
“Agrimycin 17 or AS-50" (Novartis company) or “Plantomycin” (Aries Agro-Vet
Industries). The products prevent several pathogens including the angular leaf spot
and brown spot caused by bacteria. The products are made as solution for spraying.
More details on these biological products can be seen in the book "The Guidelines
on Biological Plant Protection Medicine" prepared by Copping.
39
40
They can easily spread through spraying water and rain. They also can exist far
from the field surface such as on the flower buds where they can penetrate into
newly formed components of plant. The bacterial density in susceptible plants is
much higher than that in resistant plants.
Natural enemies/antagonists
In America, the biological agent Streptomycin is sold under the product name
“Agrimycin 17 or AS-50" (Novartis firm) or “Plantomycin” (Aries Agro-Vet Industries.
These products, formulated as spraying solutions, prevent pathogens of bacterial
blight and brown spot caused by bacteria. More details on the biological products
are found in the book named "The Biological Plant Protection Guidelines" prepared
by Copping.
41
The disease also damages flowers and fruits, i.e., it makes flowers drop and provide
no fruits. On infected fruits, skin have brownish yellow or grey, round with a 3 -10
42
The fungal disease can move in water source and spread the disease to other plants
or fields. Spores also can be splashed together with rain drops from infected plants
to healthy ones. Furthermore, they can also spread through farm tools, clothing of
farmers, pests or animals such as rabbit, rat, etc. A rabbit that runs through the
green bean furrow in the morning can be the greatest infection source!
43
Natural Enemies/Antagonists
Unknown
44
Bean mosaic virus on green bean is mainly spread by aphids. This is a very
dangerous vector for spreading disease in the green bean field. Disease incidence
depends on the virus that is injected by aphids on leaves and fruits and the period
before and after the transmission to other leaves or fruits.
45
Disease spread is mainly caused by aphids. Conditions that are favorable for aphid
development are dry weather, drought and temperatures of 22-25ºC. Under these
conditions, the disease spread also increases.
When infected, plants are stunted and their compensation ability is low. Plants can
not bear flowers if the disease appears during the early stage of development. If
infection occurs at flowering stage, it will reduce the number of flowers and fruits. In
some cases, infected plants will die if they are damaged by aphids and other insects.
Natural enemies/antagonists
To date, no natural enemies have been found for these strains of viruses. However,
the virus is spread by the aphids' movement. If there is no aphid in the field, the
disease will not be spread. Nowadays, a great number of natural enemies on aphids
have been found. Examples of these are red lady bird beetles, ants, etc. Please
refer to section 12.3 for this topic.
In several northern areas such as Hai Phong, Ha Tay, Vinh Phuc and Nghe An, the
application of mineral oil products to prevent aphids and disease spread was shown
highly effective.
46
An experiment carried out in Hai Phong in the 2004 tomato spring crop showed
that although mineral oil was applied after 35 days of planting, it was still highly
effective in the prevention of the virus. The percentage of virus leaf curl that
appeared on the tomato area sprayed with mineral oils was 35% while in the
control field it was 100%. A similar experiment was implemented in Quynh Luu,
Nghe An, where mineral oil was sprayed immediately after planting. The result
showed that there were no infected plants in the field sprayed with mineral oils
while plants in the entire control field were infected.
Information from study report from the Vietnam FAO-IPM office in cooperation
with experts from the Western Sydney University, Australia and the vegetable
IPM programme in Hai Phong Plant Protection Sub Department, June 2004.
Information from winter crop study report from the vegetable IPM trainers in Nghe
An PPSD and Vietnam FAO-IPM office, December 2005.
• Practice suitable field sanitation to reduce infection. This can include the burning
of covers from infected plants. In addition, the removal of waste material and
other plants from the field can help prevent disease. Green beans should not be
grown near plants for animal feed such as lucerne and clover (they harbor aphids
and serve as sources of virus inoculum).
• Select suitable season for planting green beans in order to avoid dry weather that
is suitable for the development of aphids. This will help minimize disease spread
in the field due to the movement of aphids.
• Killing the vector (such as aphids) is also an effective preventive method. There
are different methods to manage aphids such as the use of chemicals, natural
enemies like spiders and lady bird beetles (see the section 12.3). At present,
many studies have shown that spraying mineral oil on plants is highly effective for
killing aphids and reducing the toxic effect of chemical pesticides on people and
the environment.
47
Waterlogged plants have waterlogged spots near the outside edges of the underside
leaf surface. These spots will increase in size and quantity until the edges and the
end area of the leaf and petioles are succulent and much darker green than the color
of normal leaf cells. The waterlogged cells from the leaf tip to leaf edge and to the
middle veins will die. The necrotic cells will be contracted, dry and yellowish.
Waterlogging will destroy 75-80% of the leaves of one or several nodes on a plant,
reduce plant vigor and affect potential yields.
48
Description
Adult leaf miners are small flies with an average wing length of approximately 1.3-
1.65 mm and body length of about 2 mm. They are yellow and black. Adult females
puncture the upper surfaces of leaves with the ovipositor for feeding and egg-laying.
Puncture wounds average 0.35 mm in diameter. Adults feed on fluids that exude
from the wounds.
Life cycle
Mating occurs soon after adults emerge from the pupal stage. Generally, there is a
pre-oviposition period of 2-5 days, depending on the ambient temperature and
relative humidity. Oviposition occurs for up to three weeks, with the number of eggs
deposited depending on the temperature. Adults live up to four weeks. Eggs are
cream-colored and oval, laid singly in separate leaf punctures. They hatch in 2-7
days. Larvae are initially colorless but darken to yellow as they mature. They feed
on the leaf mesophyll layer for 6-12 days; during this time, three instars develop.
Full-grown larvae slit the leaf epidermis, fall to ground, and pupate in the soil. Pupae
are dark yellow. Pupal stage range from 9-19 days. Many overlapping generations
occur during a growing season.
Plant damage
Losses in legumes due to leaf miners are difficult to quantify. Most researchers
believe that leaf miners are secondary pests. The mining activity of leafminer larvae
and stippling (feeding and oviposition punctures) by adult females can cause
photosynthetic reduction. The punctures kill localized groups of cells, causing
chlorotic depressions in the leaf, which reduce photosynthetic capacity. High
populations of larvae can cause curling leaves and early leaf drop.
Fungal pathogens such as Alternaria cucumeria, may also invade feeding punctures
and mines, resulting in a loss of plant vigor or even plant death. In addition, adult
leaf miners have been implicated in plant virus transmission, because of their
feeding habits.
Natural enemies
Some parasitic wasps belonging to Eulophidae, such as: Diglyphus webssteri, D.
begini are reported to be adult and pupal leafminer fly parasitoids in Peru. Some
other species of Opiinae, Tetratischinae are considered as major parasitoids of
leafminer fly.
49
During winter-spring season 2003-2004, ToT participants in Hanoi put sweet and
sour traps (40% sugar + 40% vinegar + 10% alcohol mixed with Padan at a ratio
of 1.5/1000 + water) to catch cucumber leafminer adults. Achieved results were
very positive. The percentage of crops damaged by leaf miners significantly
reduced in the fields with traps. This method was applied also in FFS fields and
similar results were obtained.
This method is more effective if it is applied on large scale. If only one farmer
uses traps in his small field, it will not be effective because all leafminer adults will
come to that trap and sometimes they may do more serious damage to the field.
(Source: Mr. Pham Dinh Tho, TOT facilitator, 5th TOT, Hanoi 2003
Study report of Vegetable IPM trainers, Ha Tay and farmers from Van Phuc
commune, Phuc Tho district and FAO-IPM office, October 2004)
Root borer, M. sojae. is a major insect pest on most green bean planting regions,
especially the soybean planting areas in Vietnam and other parts of the world.
50
The pupa has an oval-shaped curve toward the back and is brown yellow, 1.4-2.5
mm long, 0.5-1.2 mm in diameter. The head of the pupa has two flesh horns and at
the distal end are long breathing tubes like those of the young insect. On the body,
the node folds of the young insect phase can clearly be seen.
Life cycle
After 1-2 days of mating, the adult root borer fly finds a place to lay eggs. They often
lay eggs on the lower surface of the leaves near the main vein. Eggs are laid in the
hollow in the leaf tissue, beneath the epidermis. A female fly can lay 20-30 eggs in
its life cycle. The egg laying period lasts 3-4 days but the female flies may die after
1-2 days of laying eggs.
After 2-3 days, larvae or maggots emerge from the eggs. The larva bore into the leaf
tissues, veins and to the stem and feed inside. The larva bores a hole through the
plant core in order to prepare for pupation later. The larval stage lasts from 7-15
days.
Depending on the development stage of the green bean, the pupa can stay in
different areas. Most pupae live in the stem, some stay near the tip or right at the
pedicel. The pupal period lasts for 10-25 days.
When plants are mature, the damage by borers will not be as serious as they only
make tips die and plants can compensate by producing new branches and produce
fruits normally.
Natural Enemies
At present, several parasitoids of green bean root/stem borers have been found such
as Eucoilidae sp., Helicoptera sp., and Cryptoprymma
51
52
Description
Aphid is a serious pest, causing damage to most bean growing areas in the world.
wingles
s
winged
Tõ Stoll (1987)
The wingless aphids are up to about 2.5 mm long, grayish-green in color, with a dark
head and black stripes on the body. The aphid is covered with a grayish-white
colored waxy powder, which is also secreted onto the surface of host plants.
The winged aphids are slightly longer than the wingless ones and have a dark-
colored head and body. The veins on the wings appear brown in color. The aphids
have small siphons (looking like small antennae) at the back of their body. Siphons
are a good way to recognize aphids. Colonies of these aphids are usually found on
the lower surface of the leaves.
The aphids can reproduce asexually: that means that males and females do not
have to mate in order to produce young. One female gives birth directly to small
nymphs. That means large numbers of aphids can be produced in a very short time!
Only in cool areas, eggs are produced after mating. The eggs over winter and young
nymphs emerge when the temperature rises. All winged aphids are females. In the
tropics, most wingless aphids are probably also females. Most reproduction in the
tropics will be asexual so males are not needed.
Life cycle
In the cooler areas of its distribution, the bean aphid over winters as small, shiny
black-colored eggs laid particularly around leaf scars of stems of plants that remain
in the field throughout the winter. When the temperature rises, the aphids hatch and
colonize the new emerging flowering stems or harvested vegetable crops that have
not been ploughed in. Then, winged aphids fly away to colonize new host plants.
They produce wingless aphids. These aphids produce more young aphids that form
new colonies. They feed on the tender, actively growing shoots and leaves, often on
the underside of leaves where they are protected from the sun and rain. When aphid
53
In addition to the direct crop damage, aphids also transmit the bean mosaic virus to
beans. Good crop hygiene (uprooting and destroying the virus infected plants),
rather than trying to kill the aphids, is the only way of reducing the impact of these
viruses as the time taken by virus-carrying aphids to infect new crops is often less
than one minute. This is too short to kill the aphids by any control practices.
Ants are attracted to aphid colonies because the aphids produce honeydew
when they are disturbed. Ants like to eat the sweet honeydew. The ants
keep and sometimes even protect the aphid colonies. They “milk” the aphids
to get the honeydew.
Although ants can be natural enemies of some pest insects, in this case, ants
cannot be considered as natural enemies of aphids because they do not kill
aphids but may in fact protect them.
Natural enemies
Weather is a major natural agent restricting the build-up of bean aphid infestation in
cold, temperate regions and mountainous areas. In dry, warm seasons the aphids
can often produce extremely large infestations whereas in wet, cool seasons the
aphid population remains small. In a period of frequent rain, aphid populations will
be very low if not absent.
54
55
• Localized sprays. There are insecticides that control aphids. However, spray
applications of insecticides can kill lady beetles and many other natural enemies
of aphids and other insect pests. Balance the benefits of spraying against the
harm done to the beneficial. When applying insecticides is considered
necessary, apply only on those plants that have aphid colonies,(spot treatment)
not on all plants. This reduces the amount of pesticides needed and may save at
least part of the beneficials present in the field.
56
Life cycle
In general, all red spider mites have incomplete metamorphosis. Female red spider
mites lay eggs on the lower surface of leaves and the egg surface is covered by a
membrane to prevent it from being damaged by other insects. A female red spider
mite can oviposit 15 eggs per day and the oviposition lasts about three weeks. The
development period from egg to mature phase lasts about 10 days in continuous hot
weather. This reproductive rate results in a quick increase of red spider mites in the
field. Red spider mites are considered to live in the soil or on plant debris for a long
time before attacking plants. Red spider mites over winter in the mature phase and
start reproducing when the weather is hot and dry.
Host range
The red spider mite has a very broad range of host plants, including many vegetable
crops and ornamental plants and trees. It damages most cucurbit crops, such as
cucumber, water melon, bottle gourd and wax gourd, legume or solanaceous crops.
57
Natural enemies
• Predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis, an orange-red mite, about 1 mm long-
This mite cannot fly but moves around much quicker than the red spider mites. In
India, this predatory mite has proved to be effective against red spider mite in
okra. Also in many European countries and in the USA, this predatory mite can
be bought from specialized shops for release in greenhouses or in the field.
Results in greenhouses are very good and hardly any chemical pesticides need
to be applied for spider mite control. Phytoseiulus needs high humidity for
effective mite control.
• The predatory mite, Amblyseius tetranychivorus, indigenous in India, was also
found effective against red spider mite in okra. This predatory mite is
commercially available in some western countries. It is released on fairly large
scale for spider mite control in many vegetable crops including eggplant,
strawberry, and gourds in China. Numerous research findings are available on
how to mass-produce and conserve predatory mites.
• The gall-midge, Feltiella acarisuga.- This is again a commercially available
natural enemy of red spider mite. It is very successful in European countries.
The adult midge is about 2 mm long, pink-brown, with long legs. Feltiella
acarisuga is often used in greenhouses together with the predatory mite
Phytoseiulus persimilis, especially in periods with low humidity levels (which
hinder the development of Phytoseiulus). The gall-midge Feltiella acarisuga can
fly, which makes it more mobile than Phytoseiulus persimilis. High humidity
boosts the emergence of gall-midges.
58
How effective one predator is, how many prey it eats per day, usually depends on
many factors including host plant and temperature. The feeding capacity of a
predator can easily be tested in the field with a caged plant or in an insect zoo (glass
or plastic jar).
Life cycles: red spider mites and predatory mite reproduction examples
In a study from China, 50 red spider mites inoculated on eggplant cultivated in
plastic bags multiplied to 13,000-14,000 individuals after 40 days, and the
predatory mite, Amblyseius longispinosus placed into the bag could subsequently
propagate to 500-1,000 individuals after 20-25 days. Not bad…!
(Zhang-YanXuan, 1996).
59
Although more research is needed to investigate the potential for pest control, it
could be considered to tolerate low levels of insects or mites in the crop and not
to try for 100% control.
Description
The adult thrips is a very small insect, about 1 mm long,
Thrips adult
brownish-yellow in color with two pairs of long, narrow wings
60
There is a “pre-pupal” stage which is white in color with short wing-sheaths and
antennae which are held straight in front of the head. The “real” pupa is about 1 mm
long and brownish in color.
Thrips are gregarious insects and large numbers are often found together on single
leaves.
The insects can be found during the day at the base of the plant, on the underside of
the leaves, at the sections with healthy tissue that border areas of brown or
damaged tissue. Pupae are found in the soil.
Thrips move frequently to new locations to make more feeding incisions. hey fly
weakly, but they may be carried great distances on wind and air currents.
Life cycle
Eggs are laid in notches of up to 100 eggs within the tissue of the leaves and stems
of young plants. They are white, and take 4-10 days to hatch.
Thrips develop through two nymphal instars, a prepupal form and one or two more or
less immobile pupa-like stages. These developmental stages are of similar general
appearance to the adults but without wings.
Nymphs molt twice in about five days, they are white or yellow. The nymphs usually
can be found among debris or in the surface layers of the soil before changing to
pre-pupae. After about two days, pre-pupae change into pupae. These resting
stages do not feed but are capable of slow movement in response to suitable stimuli
e.g. they tend to avoid light. Pupation occurs in the soil, usually at the base of the
plant.
The life-cycle spans about three weeks. There are generally several generations per
year. Warm, dry weather favors thrips development.
Host range
Thrips are polyphagous and have been recorded on more than 300 species of
plants, including legumes, cucurbits, solanaceous crops, crucifers and even
ornamentals.
61
The leaves of attacked plants are silvery with blotches and may shrivel. Heavy
attacks lead to stunted leaf-growth, wilted shoots, reduced fruit size and in extreme
cases, death of the plants. Fruits can be damaged by small necrotic spots.
Natural enemies
• Predatory mite, Amblyseius cucumeris. This predatory mite eats various thrips
species; both hatching eggs and larvae. Predatory mites also eat red spider
mites, several other mites, honeydew and pollen. Very good results are obtained
in various countries with release of this predatory mite for control of red spider
mites and thrips. In Indonesia for example, Amblyseius cucumeris was introduced
from the Netherlands, where it is commercially available, for testing its effect on
Thrips parvispinus on hot pepper.
• Natural enemies of Thrips palmi had not been recorded from Southeast Asia until
they were discovered in Thailand during 1987-88. Among eight species
discovered, the larval parasitoid Ceranisus menes, a wasp; larval predatory bugs,
Bilia sp., and Orius sp., were evaluated as effective natural enemies of T. palmi in
62
AND, to make it all worse: in fields where thrips were not a problem before, they
can become a major pest after insecticide applications. Again, this is because the
natural enemies of thrips are killed and thrips can expand into damage causing
levels. Insecticides used for the control of pests other than thrips in fact contribute
to its resurgence….
• Lacewings, Chrysopa sp. are predators of thrips. The green lacewing, Chrysopa
carnea, is the most common species. Because larvae of lacewings are generalist
predators, (larvae feed on thrips, whitefly, aphids, jassids, and small caterpillars)
they can be used in a wide variety of agricultural crops. In various countries,
lacewings are commercially available.
• There seem to be fungi that attack thrips. Fungal infestation however, requires
high humidity and thrips are important mainly in the dry season. The potential for
pathogens for the control of thrips seems therefore not very high.
Some scientists say that the increased incidence of Thrips palmi in Southeast
Asia could be the result of increased insecticide applications in some areas of
this region for the past 10 years.
63
64
Description
Male adult pod borer is 11.2 mm long and wing span of 24 mm. Females are 11.5
mm long and wing span of 24.5 mm. The head of the larva is about 1.75 mm wide.
The front wings of the adult have three veins: a big vein with a rectangle shape
located at 1/3 of the wing edge, the vein with oval shape located at the middle and
the vein with round shape located at 1/3 from the wing end. The abdomen has nine
nodes and is longer in males than females. At the distal end of the abdomen are
three black hair groups.
The larvae are tube shaped, with slender heads. Their color changes from greenish
to brown depending on the food available. The larva has five instars, measures 11–
12 mm long, 2.1–2.4 mm wide.
The egg has an oval shape of 0.67 - 0.84 mm length and 0.41 - 0.55 mm in
diameter. The newly-laid egg is greenish white in color and later turns into yellow.
Life cycle
At day time, they take shelter under the plants' shadow. They only move when they
are disturbed and the movement distance is about 1m. The adults are active at dark
or night time finding their food. After 1-2 days of eating, the adults start mating. The
mating period is at night from (2100 hr to 5 in the morning). Mating lasts about three
minutes at 20-25°C and humidity of over 80%. During mating, one male often mates
with one female but sometimes one male can mate with two females. There is a
higher percentage of one male mating with one female.
After mating, adults lay 2-16 eggs singly on branches, flowers or calyx or peduncle.
A female lays 37.6 eggs within a life cycle. Depending on the food availability, the
adult stage will last about 4-8 days.
65
Pupation takes place in the soil and lasts 6.4-11 days. The life cycle of the pod borer
which last for 18-35 days is greatly affected by temperature and humidity. The life
cycle of the pod borer will only be completed in temperatures of 22°C and 28°C. If
the temperature is over 34°C, the larvae will die. Temperatures of 15.6 to 17.8°C
and from 28 to 34°C will affect the development of pupae.
Host range
The pod borer is a major insect in the green bean growing regions in Vietnam.
Larvae cause damage on most crops of the legume family such as long bean,
French bean, soybean and green bean. When there are no crops in the field, pod
borers often live in the wild legumes like Vigna triloba.
Natural Enemies
There are many predators and parasitoids of the pod borer.
When plants have young pods, pod borers start to bore into the fruits. At day time,
they stay in the fruits to damage. At night time, they go out and move to other fruits
to continue damaging seeds and pods. This affects the yield and quality of pods.
66
When many pods are found to be damaged by the pod borer, attention
should be paid to the following points:
• Application of pesticides will reduce the populations of natural enemies in
field!
• If pesticides are necessary, timely application may be helpful: spray pesticide
on plants when eggs are hatched in order to kill newly hatched larvae. Eggs
are not susceptible to most pesticides.
• Spraying pesticides when the insect is already in the pods is useless as they
would already have caused damage and may not be affected because they
are covered by the fruit.
• If pesticides are necessary, they should be sprayed when plants are having
young fruits as the harvesting period is short and it is necessary to consider
the pre-harvest interval. When the green bean plant has fully flowered, it is
not necessary to use pesticide as in this growth stage moths do not oviposit.
12. Harvesting
The time of harvesting of various legumes will vary depending on their use or
purposes. For example, French bean, long bean, broad bean are harvested early
when fruits are plump if they are to be used as vegetable. At this period, seeds are
small and fruits have high nutrient content and less cellulose. Fruits should be
picked by hand to avoid damaging flowers and young pods and so that harvest can
be done many times.
Several bean varieties such as French bean and green bean can be harvested when
fruits are mature for seeds, for food, or canning. When fruits are mature, they can be
harvested manually or by machines in developed countries. However, harvesting by
machine can cause up to 7-10% yield loss. The manual method where entire plants
are dried and smashed to take seeds have a less losses but requires more labor.
67
References
Ahmed K.M. vµ Rey C.R., 1993. Guidelines on how to classify fungus on crops in the
legume family, published by International Crops Research Institute for the
Semi-Arid Tropics.185 pages.
Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), 1990. Vegetable
Production Training Manual. 447 pages.
Department of Entomology, 2002. Specialising Entomology Document. Agricultural
publisher: pages 163 -172.
Copping L.G., 1998. The Biopesticide Manual. British Crop Protection Council. 333
pages.
List of pesticides allowed to apply on vegetables, 2004 as issued by Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development.
Drijfhout, E. and Morales, F.J., 2005. Bean Mosaic virus in Compendium of Bean
Diseases. ASP Press: 62 - 63.
Grubben, G.J.H., 1993. Long Beans in Plant Resources of South-East Asian
Vegetable. Vol. 8: Prosea: 274 - 278
Hagedorn, D.J., 2000. Waterlogged phenomenon on green bean. Compendium of
Pea Diseases and Pest. ASP Press: 53-54
Kooi, G., 1993. C©y ®Ëu rång, trong Plant Resources of South-East Asian Vol. 8:
Vegetable. Nhµ xuÊt b¶n Prosea: 134-136.
Mai, T. Ph-¬ng Anh, Tran, V. Lai and Tran, K.Thi, 1996. Vegetable and vegetable
growing (Agricultural MSc curriculum). Agricultural Publishing House.
page:217-234.
Ngo The Dan, Tran Dinh Long, Tran Van Lai, Do Thi Dung and Pham Thi Dao, 1999.
Diseases and Insects on Soya bean. Agricutural Publisher, pages 280-336
Saettler, A.W., 2005. Diseases Caused by Virus in Compendium of Bean Diseases.
ASP Press: pages 46-50.
Salukhe D.K. vµ Kadam, S.S., 198.. C©y ®Ëu tr¹ch, trong Handbook of Vegetable
Science and Technology. Nhµ xuÊt b¶n Marcel Dekkerr: 457-532.
Schwartz, F.H., 2005. Diseases Caused by Virus in Compendium of Bean Diseases.
ASP Press: pages 22-46.
Shanmugavelu, K.G., 1978. Green bean in Production Technology of Vegetable
Crops. published by Oxford and IBH: pages 421-494.
Sharma H.C., 1998. Bionomics, Host Plant Resistance, and Management of the
Legume Pod Borer, Maruca vitata: A Review, published by Crop protection vol.
17: 373-386.
Shepard, B.M., Carner, G.R., Barrion, A.T., Ooi, P.A.C. and van de Berg, H., Insects
and their Natural Enemies on Vegetables and Soyabean in Southeast Asia.
(Books to be presented to farmers).
Sherf, A.F. and Macnab, A.A., 1986. Bean Diseases in Vegetable Diseases and
Their Control. John Wiley and Sons: 33 - 92.
Sinclair, J.B., 1983. C¸c chiÕn l-îc phßng trõ bÖnh h¹i trªn c©y ®Ëu t-¬ng ë vïng
nhiÖt ®íi vµ cËn nhiÖt ®íi, trong Soybean in Tropical and Subtropical Cropping
Systems. Nhµ xuÊt b¶n AVRDC: 251 - 255.
68
69
70
Figure 5a. Bean rust on green Figure 5b. Bean rust on green
bean, symptom on leaves bean, symptom on fruits
(See Section 10.5, page 29) (See Section 10.5, page 29)
(Source: R. Hall, 2005) (Source: R. Hall, 2005)
71
72
a b
73
74
Figure 13a. Leaf miner fly Figure 13b. Larva of leaf miner
(See Section 11.1, page 49) (See Section 11.1, page 496)
(Source: Shepard, et al., 1999) (Source: Shepard et al., 1999)
75
c
Figures 14 a, b and c. Adult (a), pupa (b) and damage (b) on bean
seedlings by root borer
(See Section 11.2, page 51)
76
a b
Figure 17 a and b: Adult thrips eat along the main leaf vein
(a) and damage on underside of the leaf (b)
(See Section 11.5, page 56)
(Source: AVRDC, 2000)