Print page  |   Email page

Past Articles Library | Plant Diseases & Control | Botrytis Blight

BOTRYTIS BLIGHT AND FRUIT ROT
(Botrytis cinerea)

Botrytis is a fungal disease that is worldwide and causes enormous damage to a wide range of fruits, flowers, and vegetables.

PLANTS MOST AFFECTED

Many plants, fruits, and vegetables including strawberry, grape, berries, tomato, lettuce, begonia, cyclamen, dahlia, geranium, peony, and rose.

DAMAGE

On flowering plants, the first symptoms you may see will be water-soaked spots on the leaves, flowers, or stems. These spots will quickly develop fuzzy gray or whitish growth. Infections often start as flower blights because older petals are more susceptible. Damage will soon spread to entire flowers and stems which collapse as the flowers dry and turn brown. On fruiting plants, a gray, tan, or whitish fluffy mold grows on berries and other fruit, which when disturbed, will emit of a puff of gray spores that scatter. Infected fruit has water-soaked spots, which later appear light brown and crack as the fungus grows. On berries the entire fruit becomes water-soaked and rots.

MEANS OF CONTROL

Prevention:

1. Botrytis spores are always present, but they don't germinate until exposed to cool and moist conditions, especially high humidity; disease develops where an injury provides entry

2. Promote good air circulation by pruning and spacing plants

3. In greenhouses, increase heating and ventilation to help dry out plant leaves early in the day.

4. Avoid injuring plants

5. Plant cultivars that are least susceptible to Botrytis

Control:

1. Quickly remove infected flowers or plant parts and flowers that have finished blooming to help prevent spread of the fungus

2. Increase ventilation in greenhouses

3. Prune to help air circulation around infected plants

4. Spray with an organic fungicide like Neem Oil or Soap Shield (See Soap Shield information below)

Control Botrytis With Soap-Shield Liquid Fungicide

Soap-Shield is a flowable liquid copper fungicide that is organic and controls diseases of a wide range of plants including many vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.

It's easy to use, fast working, inexpensive, and Soap-Shield protects plants from infection and controls:

• Botrytis
• Fruit rot
• Blights
• Powdery mildew
• Downy mildew
• Black spot
• Rust
• Leaf and fruit spot

This fungicide is totally organic!

Read More About Soap Shield Fungicide