Fruit rot

Straw- Straw mulch, no Less fruit rot by Botrytis cinerea, Cliessman et al. 

Arsenicum album 199c and Kali iodide 200c reduced fruit rot of guava and mango. Cina 1000c, applied by foliar spray, reduced root-knot disease, caused by nematode parasites, of cowpea plants. The drugs augmented the natural defense response in plants and thus reduced the parasite infection. 

Khanna K, Chandra S. 1977. Control of guava fruit rot caused by Pestaolotia psidii with homeopathic drugs. Plant Dis Rep 61 362. 

Fungicides are used on stone fruit crops in the eastern United States to control brown rot blossom blight and fruit rot (Monilinia fructi-cola), cherry leaf spot (Coccomyces hiemalis), powdery mildews (Sphaerotheca pannosa and Podosphaera oxyacanthae), and scab (Clado-sporium carpophilium). In the northeastern states about six applications are applied per season while in the southeastern states up to ten applications are applied. 

Ritchie, D.F. 1983. Mycelial growth, peach fruit-rotting capability, and sporulation of strains of Monilinia fructicola resistant to dichloran, iprodione, procymidone, and vinclozolin. Phytopathology 73 44-47. 

The total number of berries with fruit rot symptoms and the number of berries with symptoms of anthracnose or stem end rot from the April 24 harvest time were significantly lower from plots treated with the fungicides Switch, Cabrio , CaptEvate , and Pristine than from those receiving no fungicide treatment (Table 2). The most prevalent diseases in the Louisiana field study were anthracnose caused... 

Table 2. Fruit rot and field data from April 24, 2003 harvest of fungicide treated strawberry plots, Hammond, Louisiana.

Number of fruit with anthracnose fruit rot symptomn (Colletotrichum acutatum) or Stem-End Rot (Gnomonia comari). 

Alternaria has been knovm for centuries to cause various plant diseases such as early blight of potato and various leaf spots and fruit rot. Species of this fungus are widely distributed in soil and on aerial plant parts. Because Alternaria requires high moisture levels (28-34%) for growth, infection of seeds occurs when the seed moisture is high, either in early stages of development or after wetting of crops from rain. 

Fruit rots and storage rots (Monilia, Gloeosporium rot, etc.)... 

In fungal diseases the entire fruit rots if the causative organism enters via wounds. If it enters via lenticels, it produces patches 2-5 cm in size. 

Bacteria are microscopic, one-celled organisms. They usually reproduce by single cell division. Each new cell possesses all the characteristics of the parent cell. Bacteria can multiply fast under warm, humid weather conditions. Some can divide every 30 minutes. Bacteria may attack any part of a plant, either above or below the soil surface. Many leaf spots and rots are caused by bacteria. Table 3.8 shows examples of leaf spots and fruit rot. 

Fruit covered with light gray fiizz. Cause Fruit rot. Especially common during wet weather, this fungal disease appears less frequently where plants have good air circulation and proper pruning. To control fruit rot, harvest berries often. Also pick and discard infected fruit far away from plants. 

Eggplants are susceptible to many of the same problems, pests, and diseases as tomatoes, including flower drop or misshapen fruit due to extreme temperatures, flea beetles, Colorado potato beetles, aphids, hornworms, mites, Verticillium and Eusarium wilts, tobacco mosaic virus, and anthracnose fruit rot. See the Tomato entry beginning on page 227 for symptoms, causes, and controls. 

Fruit rots on underside. Cause Damp soU or mutch... 

Fruit rots on underside. Cause Damp soil or mulch. To prevent rot, support fruit on scraps of wood, or tuna cans with ends removed. See page 148 for an illustration of this technique. 

Fruit rotted. Causes Gray mold leather mold. Both diseases strike during rainy weather. Fruit that rots rapidly and then turns into fuzzy balls is infected with gray mold. Blossoms infected with gray mold turn brown and die. See page 218 for an illustration of this disease. 

Fruit with cracks around the stems shoulders may be green or yellow. Cause Uneven irrigation. Cracks start at the stem and extend out, or are semi-circular splits on the shoulders of the fruit. Rots may invade fruit through cracks. Prevent problems by keeping soil evenly moist throughout the season and by planting crack-resistant cultivars such as Early Girl , Jet Star , and fioma . 

Ripe fruit rots. Cause Various fungal and bacterial diseases. Remove infected fruit from plants. Stake plants to keep them off the ground and mulch to prevent soil from splashing up on fruit. Keep plants dry when watering and avoid touching them when wet. Grow crack-resistant cultivars and harvest ripe fruit promptly. Spray plants with copper after fruit forms if rots have been a problem in the past and weather is warm and wet. 

Symptoms Besides affecting fruit and flowers, Botrytis fungi can also damage leaves infected leaves develop water-soaked spots that later turn brown or dry. For information about Botrytis on flowers, see Botrytis Blight on page 385 for Botrytis on fruit, see Botrytis Fruit Rot on page 389. 

Flower and Fruit Symptoms Fruit Rotted or Deformed... 

Prevention and Control Cool temperatures and high humidity promote Botrytis fruit rot. Removing infected fruit, whether living or dead, reduces the spread of the disease. Plants overstimulated with nitrogen fertilizer are most susceptible to gray mold, as are plants around which air cannot circulate to quickly dry leaves, stems, and fruit. 

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