What Is It?

What Is It? | Facts in Depth | For the Professional Diagnostician

Tomato Diseases | Botrytis Gray Mold

Botrytis Gray Mold

Identification

Leaves:

  • Infected leaves are brown with blighted areas.  On tomatoes lesions are often V-shaped on leaves.

Botrytis Tomato Seedlings-2 copy 50QUALITY LettuceBotrytis copy 50QUALITY
Images of Botrytis gray mold symptoms on tomato leaves (left) and lettuce leaves (right).

Stem:

  • Grey-brown velvety mold spots on the leaves or stems.
  • Stem cankers can damage or girdle the stem and lead to wilting.

TomatoBotrytisSeedlings copy 50QUALITY BotrytisGHTomato copy 50 Quality
Symptoms of Botrytis gray mold on tomato seedlings (left) and plants (right).

Flowers:

  • Flowers may turn brown and die.
  • Flowers and fruits develop a grey, fuzzy coating.

Fruit:

  • Fruits develop necrotic flecks surrounded by a whitish halo or white circular rings.
  • Infected fruits turn gray-white and rot.

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Favorable Environmental Conditions

  • Cool and wet (high humidity >80%) conditions.
  • Moderate temperatures of 65 – 75°F.

Often Confused With

Scouting Notes

  • First sites of infection are wounded tissues and fading flowers.
  • Initial growth appears white, and then darkens to a grey color.