Gray mold
Gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) : It appears on young plants as gray-brown velvety mold covering stems or leaves. Infections that girdle the stem cause wilting above the infected area. In the field gray spores cover dying flowers and the calyx of fruit. Under a hand lens, the spore-bearing structures resemble bunches of grapes. Infections spread from flowers or fruit back toward the stem, which turns white and develops a canker that may girdle it.
Control: Inspect transplants before planting them into the field. Remove and destroy plants found with severe Botrytis symptoms such as obvious active lesions or dead leaves or petioles. Also, avoid unnecessary late irrigations and keep the tops of beds dry when fruit is present to help reduce the chance of infection. Use of fungicides will not suppress an established infection and are applied to protect against infection.
