During the period of vegetative growth, walk the fields at least once weekly to observe overall stand quality. Use the table below and the photo identification page to help identify pests and pest damage.
| What the problem looks like: | Check for: | Possible cause(s): |
|---|---|---|
| Collapsed, wilting, or dying plants | Water-soaked lesions extending up stem; band of dead stem tissue (especially following irrigation) | Pythium diseases ("wilt") on established plants or seedling diseases caused by Pythium spp. |
| Yellowing plants; brick-red discoloration internally in roots and extending into above ground stems | Fusarium wilt/yellows (blackeyes) | |
| Charcoal-like dust appearance on stem and root surface near the soil line | Charcoal rot | |
| Brick-red or brown external lesions on belowground stems and tap roots; small red flecks under lesion surface when scraped | Root rot (Fusarium spp.) | |
| Yellowing leaves | Leaves yellow or appear dry and curl slightly; honeydew or sooty mold present | Whiteflies, aphids |
| Portions of leaves may yellow; leaves distorted, turning brownish and curving upward | Thrips | |
| Sunken, red, oval spots at stem base and stem below soil; discrete, reddish brown lesions on upper tap roots of older plants | Root rot or seedling diseases caused by Rhizoctonia spp. | |
| Blackeyes: has the field recently been irrigated? | Iron deficiency due to soil saturation | |
| Wilting (starting in lower leaves); entire plant yellows; red-brown streaking inside stem (seen if cut open) | Fusarium wilt/yellows (common beans, blackeyes) | |
| Soil saturation | Too much water | |
| Mottled, distorted leaves | Light green-yellow and dark green mosaic pattern; puckering, blistering, distortion, downward curling, and rolling | Bean common mosaic |
| Leaves with holes; skeletonized leaves | Presence of mottled, olive-green to almost black caterpillars; or, black caterpillars with prominent yellowish stripe and several bright stripes on each side | Armyworms |
| Presence of green caterpillars that arch back when crawling | Loopers | |
| Presence of yellow, brownish to black caterpillars with yellow lines, covered with reddish or black hairs. | Saltmarsh caterpillar | |
| Presence of greenish-yellow beetles with black spots or stripes | Cucumber beetles | |
| Leaves with mines | Slender, winding trails or large, whitish blotches | Leafminers |
| Curled leaves | Sticky, shiny leaves; black sooty mold | Whitefly, aphids |
| Downward cupping, puckering, wrinkling, and thickening of infected leaves; leaves brittle, dark green; plant with shortened internodes and stunted | Curly top | |
| Leaves with spots | Irregularly shaped spots bordered by lemon-yellow ring | Common bacterial blight |
| Leaves with stippling | Very fine white or yellow stippling; fine webbing on leaf undersurface | Spider mites |
| White stippling on upper leaf surface; tiny, dark, varnish-like spots and small, white cast skins on lower leaves | Leafhoppers |