Gray Mold (Botrytis Fruit Rot) of Strawberry

Symptoms

Blighted brown flowers; light brown, firm, sunken lesions starting at the fruit stem end that enlarge and become covered in gray-brown spore masses; affected fruit can become dry, mummified.

Favorable conditions

• •Wet conditions with temperatures 5-30°C
• •Infection often begins at bloom and stays latent until fruit ripens
• •Dense canopy and poor air circulation slow drying

Management

1. 1Apply a preventive fungicide program from bloom through harvest
2. 2Use targeted fungicides (Captevate, Elevate, Pristine, Scala, Switch) during peak bloom
3. 3Improve airflow and use straw mulch to keep fruit off the soil
4. 4Harvest frequently and remove diseased/cull fruit

Treatment details