gray mold rot
- Also called:
- gray mold blight or botrytis blight
- Related Topics:
- plant disease
- blight
- mold
- Botrytis
- Botrytis cinerea
gray mold rot, disease of plants growing in humid areas that is caused by fungi in the genus Botrytis, usually B. cinerea. Most vegetables, fruits, flowers, and woody plants are susceptible.
The disease primarily affects flowers and buds, though infections on fruits, leaves, and stems can occur. Gray mold rot is characterized by tan to brown soft spots or blotches that become covered with a dusty mold and can cause seedlings, young shoots, and leaves to wither and collapse and buds, flowers, and fruits to become flecked and rotten.
Control involves the removal of infected parts. Proper cultivation, including spacing for ventilation, judicious fertilizing, and watering at the soil line, is helpful in reducing the chances of gray mold rot. Harvested fruits and vegetables should be stored as close to 0 °C (32 °F) as is practical and sprayed with a fungicide at least weekly in damp cool weather.