Plants infected at a young age may show stunted growth. The striking yellow mosaic symptoms differentiate bean yellow mosaic infections from those of bean common mosaic, which causes light and dark green mosaic patterns of infected leaves. It also commonly infects gladiolus. Beans become infected when virus-carrying aphids move into bean fields. Transmission of the virus occurs within seconds once aphids begin feeding on the crop.
Aphids can efficiently spread the virus within a field, resulting in high rates of infection.
The virus is not known to be seed-transmitted in beans. Bean yellow mosaic is in the same virus family as bean common mosaic virus, and commonly occurs in mixed infections with bean common mosaic in field-infected plants. This can confuse diagnosis in the field, which can be particularly important in seed production fields. Antibody tests are often needed for the precise identification of these two viruses. The best management approach is to plant resistant varieties.