Gray Mold Blight
Gray mold blight, also known as gray mold rot, is a very disease common to an assortment of plants. The most common types of plants afflicted by this disease are those, which are non-woody, and grown under humid conditions. The disease is a type of fungus, technically known as Botrytis cinerea. Due to the conditions in which it is common, it is a common problem within the greenhouse, as humidity humidity high, and temperatures kept moderate.

Posted Thursday, April 6, 2006

Plants that are usually impacted within greenhouse are: tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, as well as some cucumbers, the leaves of onions, and particularly the leaves of ornamental plants such as African Violets and other succulents.

Gray mold blight can influence plants in a number of different ways. These symptoms run from collapsing and damping-off of seedlings, Blossom blight, Fruit rot, Stem and crown rot, to Shoot blight. It begins with its initial symptom, which usually appears as a water-soaked spot. The tissue of the area then becomes soft and watery, followed by wilting and a collapse of the affected parts. Should the humidity remain high, a grayish-brown mycelium (fungus threads) web or coating forms, as well as spores, which develop over the surface of the tissue which has collapsed.

The spores, which are produced, are easily transferred onto the remaining healthy foliage by simply being blown through the air, or splashed over. If a moisture film is present, and conditions remain right, the germination and infection by gray mold blight can occur within a matter of a few hours. On the fleshy parts of the plants, including the stems and the fruits, sclerotia may be produced. These are durable resting structures, which allow the gray mold blight fungus to survive even if the conditions should remain unfavorable for germination or growth. The sclerotia can grow to be as big as a quarter of an inch, and are flat in shape, and black in color.

To control the fungus, fungicidal sprays may be needed in order to protect healthy plants. Consult the label to be certain that it is the right kind of fungicide to combat gray mold blight.