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Watch for Botrytis blight

Wed, Feb 13th, 2019, created by Jean Williams-Woodward

Overcast, wet weather can increase Botrytis risk in greenhouse crops. Botrytis blight or “gray mold” is a damaging disease to floriculture and edible crops, particularly during the winter months. The pathogen thrives in low light, moist, and humid conditions. It is best controlled by managing the greenhouse environment, keeping plants as dry as possible, following good sanitation practices, and using preventative fungicide applications. See the e-GRO alert on Botrytis here; the alert is http://e-gro.org/pdf/2019_810.pdf

The University of Florida strawberry researchers recently created an animated life cycle for Botrytis (Gray Mold) on strawberry. It shows what the disease looks like, where it comes from, and how it spreads. They did a great job. I particularly like the time lapse photography showing the progression of the disease on infected strawberries and the image near the end of the video showing how many and how easily Botrytis spores move. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEhM3h-c9mU&index=2&list=PLK93eCG1nCqJP_xMZO_viSFKYcAHNqa9h&t=0s



About the Author:

Jean Williams-Woodward

Associate Professor, University of Georgia

Jean is an Associate Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist at the University of Georgia. Jean provides statewide plant disease diagnosis and management recommendations for ornamental plants in greenhouses, nurseries, and landscapes. She also teaches courses in plant disease diagnosis and ornamental pest management. She brings over 27 years of experience in working with ornamental plant producers and extension outreach providing education programs and on-site plant problem diagnostics.

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