Spring bean growers may need to get a fungicide spray on sooner than normal this season, with the early signs of chocolate spot appearing in crops in South Lincolnshire.

Farmacy agronomist Alex Richardson is reporting the disease as crops approach flowering, the time when growers should be applying a fungicide to protect crop yield prospects.

“I’m seeing early signs of downy mildew and chocolate spot in spring beans and this is something that growers do need to be aware of.

“Fungicide spray timings will depend crop growth stage and the disease pressure, but on more backward and later-drilled spring crops you may have to consider spraying before flowering if the pressure gets too much.”

See also: 5 easy steps to tackling bruchid beetle damage in beans

Chocolate spot is made worse in wet, humid conditions and can be very damaging to crop yields, in some cases causing flower loss.

Symptoms include the blackening of stems or lower leaves and the emergence of small brown lesions that can completely kill bean plants in bad cases.

Mr Richardson advocates using a cyproconazole + chlorothalonil fungicide spray for control of chocolate spot and downy mildew in beans.