Skip to content Skip to navigation
UMass Collegiate M The University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give
  • Search UMass.edu
Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment
UMass Extension Vegetable Program
  • Vegetable Home
  • About
    • About the Vegetable Program
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Funding
    • Request a visit
    • Request a Crop & Pest Management Planning Meeting
    • Contact us
  • Publications
    • Vegetable Notes
    • New England Vegetable Management Guide
    • Northeast Vegetable and Strawberry Pest Identification Guide
    • Cucurbit Disease Scouting & Management Guide
    • Sweet Corn IPM Scouting Guide & Record Keeping Book
    • Nutrient Management Guide for New England Vegetable Production
  • Fact Sheets
  • Special Topics
    • Brassica Pest Collaborative
    • Heating Greenhouses with Locally Grown Corn
    • Winter Production and Storage
  • Resources
    • Food Safety for Farmers
    • Nutrient Management
    • Scouting Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Recursos en Español (Spanish-Language Resources)
    • Useful Links
  • Services
    • Disease Diagnostics
    • Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing
    • UMass Extension Bookstore
    • Hot Water Seed Treatment
    • Mentor Farm Program
    • Scouting Program
  • News & Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • News
    • Past Events
  • Make a Gift

Bean, Rust

Image
Bean Rust caused by Uromyces appendiculatus. Photo: R. L. Wick

Uromyces appendiculatus

Most beans are susceptible to Rust caused by Uromyces appendiculatus, but the disease  occurs sporadically and is important only under  prolonged periods of warm, moist weather.

Identification:

Symptoms develop on leaves and pods as pustules of red-brown powdery spores (urediniospores) which rupture the epidermis. They are often surrounded by a yellow halo.

Life Cycle:

Rust fungi have extremely complex life cycles, often involving two hosts and up to five different spore stages. The bean rust fungus exists in at least 35 pathotypes and is extremely variable.  Pustules of brownish-red, powdery spores (urediniospores) develop on leaves and stems. Severely infected leaves turn chlorotic, dry, and decline. Later, black to brown teliospores form within pustules and enable the pathogen to survive between crop cycles and initiate new infections.

Crop Injury:

Severe infections can result in defoliation. Diseased leaves lose photosynthetic capacity resulting in losses in vigor and yield.

Cultural Controls & Prevention:

  • Rotate bean with non-host crops.
  • Plow under infected crop residues.
  • Eliminate volunteer bean plants.
  • Select planting dates and schedule irrigation to avoid long periods of leaf wetness when temperatures are warm.
  • Disinfect poles in production of pole beans.
  • Avoid over application of nitrogen and ensure adequate potassium fertilization.
  • Plant resistant cultivars.

Chemical Controls & Pesticides:

For Current information on disease recommendations ins specific crops including information on chemical control & pesticide management, please visit the New England Vegetable Management Guide website.

Crops that are affected by this disease:

  • Beans, Snap, Dry, and Lima
Last Updated: January 14, 2013

The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and UMass Extension are equal opportunity providers and employers, United States Department of Agriculture cooperating. Contact your local Extension office for information on disability accommodations. Contact the State Center Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 413-545-4800 or see ag.umass.edu/civil-rights-information.

Ways to Connect

  • Ask a question
  • Request a Visit
  • Request a Crop & Pest Management Planning Session
  • Submit a Sample
  • Become a Mentor Farm
  • Join the NEVBGA
  • Make a Donation

Connect with us on Social Media

extension vegetable program facebook page  extension vegetable program instagram   extension vegetable program youtube channel

Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information

College of Natural Sciences

Login for faculty and staff

CAFE Units

Mass. Agricultural Experiment Station

UMass Extension

UMass Research and Education Center Farms

UMass Cranberry Station

Water Resources Research Center

Interest Areas

Agriculture

Commercial Horticulture

Energy

Environmental Conservation

Food Science

Nutrition

Water

Youth Development & 4-H

Services

Pesticide Education

Plant Diagnostics Laboratory

Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory

Hot Water Seed Treatment

Water Testing / Environmental Analysis Laboratory

Projects

Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS)

Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education

Mass. Envirothon

Mass. Herp Atlas

Mass. Keystone

MassWoods

North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative

RiverSmart

UMass Design Center in Springfield

Resources

Extension Sales Portal

Agriculture & Commercial Horticulture Resources

Community & Economic Vitality

Disaster Preparedness

Food Safety

Home Lawn & Garden

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Land Conservation Tools

Pollinators

Tick testing

Resources for Faculty and Staff

Extension Programs

4-H Youth Development

Agriculture

Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine

Fruit

Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture

Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry

Pesticide Education

Turf

Vegetable

Clean Energy

Climate Change

Food Science

Nutrition Education

Value-Added Food

Seal of The University of Massachusetts Amherst - 1863
©2025 University of Massachusetts Amherst · Site Policies · Accessibility