Foliar Diseases Status of Common Bean (iPhaseolus/ii /iivulgaries/ii /iL.) in Borana, Southern Ethiopia

The common bean cultivation and usage is most widely practiced in the study areas, where it is mostly used for home consumption. However, its production and productivity is constrained by several factors. Among the factors, foliar diseases are the major biotic factor that affects bean productivity in the region. Hence, to provide a valuable input which contributes in solving this production constraint, the present study was conducted with the objectives of studying the relative importance of major foliar diseases of common bean. The assessment was done in Yabello, Teltelle, and Elwaye districts. Four kebeles were selected per district and the assessment was done at 4-7km intervals. A simple random sampling method was used to collect disease samples which were performed at 5 points in a W-shaped fashion per field with 1msup2/sup quadrat. The survey result revealed angular leaf spot (ALS), common bacterial blight, anthracnose, common bean mosaic virus, and leaf rust were the major common bean diseases in Borana. Of which ALS was the most distributed disease over the study areas. With, the prevalence of ALS was 96.77%. Of these fields 91.67% had a disease severity index of more than 50%. For such a high intensity and distribution of ALS, weed infestation, low tillage frequency, and crop density were found to be the most associated agronomic factors. Moreover, the present study indicated that there is high potential to combat the disease in the area using resistant varieties and some agronomic measures such as proper weeding, tillage, plant spacing and crop rotations.