Testing for and monitoring of pathogens is a component of seed quality control. For current seed health testing, seed-borne pathogens are usually recovered by conventional agar plating, blotter tests or by serological techniques. These traditional methods of detection and identification are often time consuming and labour intensive. Over the past decade, considerable advancement has taken place in the development of molecular diagnostics for detection of pathogens in seeds. Potential benefits (rapid, same-day analysis specific and sensitive tests) this new technology offers make it extremely attractive. The D-Genos firm from Angers (France) has developed assays based upon PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) for the specific detection of pathogenic bacteria in seed soakings. Our laboratory is testing the D-Genos ready-to-use kits to detect Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli on bean seeds. As part of the validation of this PCR-based approach, we have to compare PCR detection with classical methods of detection and identification. The data obtained are conclusive enough to allow the use of D-Genos kits for detection of P. savastanoi pv. phaseolicola and X. axonopodis pv. phaseoli in routine testing laboratory as an alternative to standard procedures. Indeed, the ultimate aim of the validation project is to propose these PCR-based assays as a standardized ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) method to detect these bean seedborne pathogens.