A severe Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta phaseolorum Sacc.), was found during a survey carried out in farmer's fields of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at Itatiba county, São Paulo State, Brazil. Foliar lesions were usually circular to irregular shaped, brown to dark brown and usually contained concentric circles of picnidia. These lesions often blighted the entire leaves, that die and fall. The pathogen also infected the stems, petioles and pods, and the disease incidence ranged from trace to severe. The stems and petioles lesions were elongated and cankerous, often girdling them, killing the plant above the infected region. The pod lesions were initially circular and zonate, as the foliar spots, but the concentric circles are of little evidence. Diagnosis were confirmed by isolation, cultural and morphological characteristics of the fungus, besides pathogenicity tests. The disease was confused with Alternaria blight, on the leaves, or Macrophomina rot, on the lower part of stems. The pathogen identification permitted to avoid misidentification and to establish measures of control.
snap bean; diseases; Ascochyta phaseolorum Sacc.