Occurrence of Pseudomonas syringae on Bean and Soybean in Kenya. Walter J. Kaiser, Head, Plant Quarantine Station, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 30148, Nairobi, Kenya. A. H. Ramos, Senior Plant Pathologist, National Agricultural Laboratory, P.O. Box 14733, Nairobi, Kenya. Plant Dis. 64:593-595. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1980. DOI: 10.1094/PD-64-593.

A bacterial disease of unknown etiology affected the foliage of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and soybean (Glycine max) plants in the highlands of Kenya. The bean and soybean bacterial strains were indistinguishable in cultural, morphologic, and physiologic properties and in their pathogenicity to various legume species. In greenhouse inoculation tests, bean and soybean bacterial strains produced brown, angular lesions on the foliage of bean, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), lima bean (P. lunatus), soybean, and tepary bean (P. acutifolius) in 3–4 days. Symptoms on bean leaves were identical to those incited by Pseudomonas syringae, the causal organism of bacterial brown spot of bean. Both bacterial strains were seedborne in bean. Based on bacteriological tests, pathogenicity studies, and symptomatology, Kenyan bean and soybean bacterial strains are considered to be strains of P. syringae.