Fruit (green or ripe) develops brown, leathery, dull discoloration with a distinctly bitter taste and unpleasant odor throughout, even in tissue that still looks normal; berries can dry into hard mummies.
Favorable conditions
•Free water on the fruit surface for 2+ hours at 16-25°C
•Standing water or direct fruit-to-soil contact
•Poorly drained, low-lying planting areas
Management
1Improve field drainage and avoid low-lying planting sites
2Mulch with straw or plastic to keep fruit off wet soil
3Use drip instead of overhead irrigation
4Apply mefenoxam (Ridomil) or fosetyl-Al (Aliette) at bloom and fruit set
Treatment details
Chemical treatment
Ridomil (mefenoxam) or Aliette (fosetyl-Al), which have shown 98-99% disease control in trials.
Cultural management
Improve drainage, avoid overhead irrigation, mulch to keep fruit off soil, rotate crops, and consider soil solarization in warm climates.