Botrytis cinerea
Gray Mold
Gray mold is a blight or rot of immature, fleshy or senescent tissues. Lesions develop as tan or brown, water-soaked areas, which may become grayish or dried out
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B. cinerea does not usually penetrate through stomata but infection via wounds is common for this species. Epidemics caused by Botrytis occur in cool, wet and humid weather, conditions that favor sporulation and infection. The severity of gray mold is closely related to environmental conditions and is especially dependent on temperature and relative humidity.
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Botrytis is an ascomycete in the sclerotia forming family.
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What You Need to Know
Botrytis is a common problem in vineyards. In fact, Botrytis exists in every vineyard across the world. It is not limited to grapes and vineyeards, Botrytis can infect a large range of hosts, including hemp.
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Botrytis first appears as a white growth but darkens to a gray color as the pathogen progresses through its life cycle. The spores are easily spread by wind and rain, so any contact with infected plants will result in the spreading of spores.
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What You Need to Know
Botrytis is a necrotrophic fungi, it kills the host tissue that it has infected in order to absorb nutrients from the host plant. Botrytis can affect just about any part of a plant with the exception of the roots, but typically prefers to infect certain parts of each plant that it infects.
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Due to its presence nearly everywhere, management of Botrytis requires consistent inspection and sanitation. It is important to keep plants dry and avoid standing water on leaves or fruits. It is important to remove and dead or diseased tissue from areas being used to grow, as Botrytis can overwinter in dead plant tissue.
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Fungicide sprays are also used when weather conditions are favorable for Botrytis, usually in the spring during cool and wet periods.