The warm, moist weather during June and July was ideal for anthracnose development and spread. Foliar fungicides are not registered and American reports suggest that they have limited effectiveness against anthracnose. The disease must be managed through decisions made before seeding time. There are only a limited number of recommended varieties for Manitoba that are resistant to some races of anthracnose, but not necessarily the one or ones found in Manitoba. There is no complete screening of the edible bean varieties grown in Manitoba, Ontario and North Dakota to determine which race or races, if any, they are resistant to.
Certified seed is recommended because anthracnose is primarily spread through infected seed.
This guarantees the variety's genetic quality and integrity. But certified seed has no guarantee regarding seed-borne disease status. Some lots of good quality bin-run seed can have as low or lower levels of anthracnose on the seed as does certified seed. Low level infections can be hard to spot within a field so even fields assumed to be anthracnose-free might not be so. Even if planting seed is treated with other fungicides, it should be treated with DCT because no other fungicide contains the thiophanate-methyl component that provides anthracnose control.