Common bean is one of major food legumes with high nutrition and large production area. Fusarium wilt has been a seriously soil-born disease and caused a great loss to the production of common beans. Salicylic acid (SA) is considered to be one of the important signaling molecules involved in plant defence reactions and has been proved to be involved in plant hypersensitive reaction (HR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). In this study, we treated the leaves of common bean cultivars BRB-130 by different plant hormones. The results indicated the levels of endogenous SA in bean roots were increased when the leaves were treated by SA; the resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli isolate FOP-DM01 was significantly improved; the enhancements of PAL and POX activity and H2O2 level were all detected significantly in roots. SA-treatment induced HR and SAR in common beans. Therefore, SA has the ability to improve resistance to Fusarium wilt of common beans as an important chemical activator in the resistant signaling pathways. This study provides a new idea for the development of environment-friendly fungicides.