Congratulations to Keith McGowan and others for identifying nematodes and sudden death syndrome. The stem question was a tough one. The discoloration is actually from Dectes stem borer tunneling. This particular field had heavy Dectes and nematode populations. Nematodes and SDS often go hand-in-hand. The presence of high Dectes is a bit odd and the field will need to be watched carefully so that it can be harvested as soon as possible to lessen the chances of a windstorm causing the beans to lodge.