INTRODUCTION

• Gray mold of strawberries is caused by a fungus, Botrytis cinerea, which infects both the flowers
and fruits. Because of this, Botrytis can greatly reduce fruit yields and is considered one of the
most damaging diseases of strawberry.
CASUAL AGENT

Botrytis cinerea
• Kingdom: Fungi
• Division: Ascomycota
• Class: Leotiomycetes
• Order: Helotiales
• Family: Sclerotiniaceae
• Genus: Botrytis
• Species: B. cinerea
HOST RANGE

B. cinerea; these range from grey mould on different plant organs, including flowers, fruits, leaves,
shoots and soil storage organs (i.e. carrot, sweet potato), although the fungus is not regarded as a
true root pathogen or one causing soil-borne diseases. Vegetables (i.e. cabbage, lettuce, broccoli,
beans) and small fruit crops (grape, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry) are most severely affected.

Culture of plants out-of-season in heated or unheated greenhouses and under plastic tunnels used
increasingly to supply fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers in northern latitudes greatly increases
the risk of infection, especially in tomato, cucumber and sweet pepper.
SYMPTOMS

• The most common symptom of gray mold is fruit rot.

• A light gray or brownish lesion will develop near the stem end of the fruit. In time, a grayish,
fuzzy mass of spores will spread over the lesion as well as cover the entire fruit. Lesions can be
found on green fruit as well as ripening fruit
DISEASE CYCLE

• Botrytis can be introduced into a field on infected transplants or can survive on dead plant
material and in soil in the form of sclerotia.
• When conditions are favorable in late winter or early spring, the fungus begins to grow and
produce spores.
• The spores can be spread throughout the planting by wind and wind-blown rain. Field workers
and pickers can also spread the pathogen on their hands, clothes, or shoes during harvest.
• The pathogen thrives in cool, humid conditions (65°F-75°F).
DISEASE CYCLE
EPIDEMIOLOGY

• The pathogen thrives in cool, humid conditions (65°F-75°F).

• Epidemics are often initiated in the spring from conidial inoculum produced on over-wintering
structures on a very wide range of plant species.
• From floral infection in the spring, several infection pathways to fruit infection and crop loss at
harvest can be found. 
MANAGEMENT

• Begin with healthy transplants.

• Be sure to acquire plants from a reputable nursery. Often, diseases such as gray mold will be
present on plants at the nursery.
• Be sure that your plants are certified disease-free.
• Use sanitation. Scout the field and remove dead and infected plant material to reduce the
population of the pathogen.
CONTINUE…

• Bag infected plant material in the field to avoid further spread.

• If there are localized areas of infection or ‘hot spots,’ remove and destroy (burn) all infected
plants.
• Harvest all known areas of infection last to minimize spread of the disease within a planting.
• Allow sufficient spacing between plants. This will allow for good airflow through the canopy
and quicken drying of foliage and fruit.