French beans - brown leaves - plants dying

[kathyd]

A while ago it was suggested that the brown patches on my bean leaves was scorch. Unfortunately I don't think this is the case as they've got progressively worse, and the plants eventually die back. It started on one particular batch, but is now spreading to others where the plants touch, so possibly a virus or other disease? But I've googled and can't find anything much on french bean diseases, so I'm stuck... I've pulled a few up, and just stuck a piece of cardboard between the rest of the diseased lot and some it doesn't appear to have affected yet, but I'm in desperate need of some advice please.. what could it be? How can I avoid it next time? Is there anything I can do this time to protect the few that are left?

Thx

[VirginVegGrower]

Are they in or out? Could it be yet more magnesium deficiency appearing on plants? I've had similar on other veg plants, not beans though. Can you see any aphid infestation? Tried feeding?

Googling, there is a rust you can get on beans, never seen it myself. Tiny brown spots. Try googling that and see if pics are same. If the brown starts at the leaf tip, it could be overwatering. Trouble is that this weather is warm, humid and muggy. Perfect conditions for disease. Mind you, you're France - what's your weather been like?

[bearded bloke]

Morning Kathy,do you leaves look like this ? ..............



If so then please turn the leaf over,does it look like this ? .....



Light green & largely healthy (with darker area's where the"burn" is on the topside),or does it have the same "burnt" area's on the underside ?

Those are mine & were stunted in growth at about 10" as well two weeks ago,so I gave them a foliage feed & root watering of Eps@m Salts & that particular plant is over 3ft up the pole with a few flowers

But if the "burnt" area's fully pass through the leaf to the underside then it will be wind burn (not the best explanation of what I mean but can get more pic's later if you don't understand what I mean )

[binley100]

That's it I'm heading off to the lottie as soon as poss with a huge sprayer full of ES.........adding beans to the list .......

[bearded bloke]

Mid/late evening is best for absorption by the plant leaves into the stem,a light mist is best (try & mimic dewfall )

[kathyd]

I've taken some photos to try to show the problem. The brown patches are on both sides of the leaves, the plants are outdoors. It's rained a lot, and they've only been watered as necessary. I can't see any nasty beasties on them, and I've not fed them with anything so far - the ones that aren't (yet) suffering have started flowering, and I think the soil is pretty fertile. The brown stuff was limited to just one variety initally, but is now spreading to the ones on either side - one of the photos tries to show some adjacent ones (borlotti I think, not 100% sure) which have begun to blister and turn brown. On affected plants, new growth is also brown. Stems also go brown. Eventually the leaves fall off and the plant dies.

What's in Epsom Salts that's good for them? Don't suppose I can get the brand over here, but could look for an equivalent?

Thx for your help.

[VirginVegGrower]

I've taken some photos to try to show the problem. The brown patches are on both sides of the leaves, the plants are outdoors. It's rained a lot, and they've only been watered as necessary. I can't see any nasty beasties on them, and I've not fed them with anything so far - the ones that aren't (yet) suffering have started flowering, and I think the soil is pretty fertile. The brown stuff was limited to just one variety initally, but is now spreading to the ones on either side - one of the photos tries to show some adjacent ones (borlotti I think, not 100% sure) which have begun to blister and turn brown. On affected plants, new growth is also brown. Stems also go brown. Eventually the leaves fall off and the plant dies.

What's in Epsom Salts that's good for them? Don't suppose I can get the brand over here, but could look for an equivalent?

Thx for your help.

Magnesium Sulphate is the magic ingredient I think. Not sure on your Frenchies - I'm growing them for the first time this year. It's not a fungus/mould like Botrytis is it?

[kathyd]

Hi VVG - I don't think it's a mould or fungus no - the leaves are dry and crackly rather than grey / fluffy / soggy...

[bearded bloke]

Forget the Epsom Salts,that is not magnesium deficiency ,I would hazard a guess at

Bean (common) Blight
Bean (halo) blight
Or a leaf miner

[bearded bloke]

Although pic 4 lokks like it might be capsid bug damage,so possibly more than one problemis there good air movement around each plant ?

[kathyd]

Forget the Epsom Salts,that is not magnesium deficiency ,I would hazard a guess at

Bean (common) Blight
Bean (halo) blight
Or a leaf miner

OK... thx BB. Looked at halo blight earlier but the description didn't seem to quite fit. Didn't find anything about common bean blight, will look again. I don't think it's miners because I haven't seen anything crawling on them, and I've checked regularly. I looked on google again and wondered if it could be manganese deficiency rather than magnesium? Not that I know how to deal with that problem, but it'd be useful to have a starting point... Should I pull up all the affected plants do you think?

[kathyd]

Although pic 4 lokks like it might be capsid bug damage,so possibly more than one problemis there good air movement around each plant ?

Now wouldn't that be fun, more than one problem to keep me guessing! Lol . Pic 4 is the 'other' lot of beans that have only just started to be affected. I don't know what a capsid bug is, I'll look it up, but we do have loads of different bugs and insects around so there could be anything on there. I've not been monitoring that lot because they've been fine until now!! There's plenty of air movement yes - the garden is sheltered, but that's a relative term - I'm in Brittany, bordering the Finisterre region which gets all the Atlantic winds! Calmer by the time they reach us thank goodness, but still plenty of moving air to keep the beanies happy!