Botrytis Blight Treatment: Lessons from a Large-Scale Strawberry Farmer

Each strawberry season is followed with its own share of anticipation, however a few years back my eagerness was soon followed with horror. It began with simple things, a few bad strawberries, under the leaves. They were squishy and mushy, their skins, that had been so bright red, faded with strange grayish spots. I thought initially it must be frost damage, not uncommon in the fickle spring weather of our valley. Yet the issue grew very quickly. Just a few days later, I could see gray fuzz on strawberries, and it was spreading plant to plant, and pretty soon, whole rows were covered. It was then apparent that this was no ordinary frostbite case but a full pledges outbreak of strawberry gray mold, or Botrytis cinerea fungus, as it is also infamously known.

The mistake at the beginning was natural. Grey mould strawberries can be mistaken easily for other problems, particularly in the situation when you have a big field and you are in a race with time to pick. but as more of the flowers dried and wilted, and the fruit itself started into shriveling and mummification, as we term it, it was clear that some blight upon strawberries was menacing my whole season. It took me by surprise and nearly half my crop was gone. I was repeating the question to myself how to make strawberries not mold, and it was even the environment that appeared to be on my side. As I was to soon find out, the solution was to understand the disease itself as well as the conditions that it was able to flourish within.

Those who are looking for why do strawberries mold so quickly, how to keep strawberries from molding and botrytis blight treatment, I have discussed the solution later in the content. 

Identifying the Problem: Symptoms of Botrytis Blight

I started noticing symptoms of Botrytis blight on strawberries as I was walking in my fields. What does mold on strawberries look like? It begins with grayish-brown spots, frequently at the stem end or where the berry is in contact with some other surface. A velvety coating of spores soon covers these lesions and plump, juicy berries are transformed to shriveled, mummified fruit. The fuzz on strawberries is definite and is an indication that the disease has set in. Flowers are also affected as they become brown at the edges and eventually die without having a chance to bear fruits. The damage was catastrophic-that year some 50 percent of my pre-harvest was ruined by mold on strawberry plants. After harvesting, a great number of berries which appeared to be healthy started decaying in a few days, and I was left with rotten strawberry and tremendous losses after harvest. The rate at which these fruits went bad got me questioning why strawberries go bad within a short duration and the explanation led me straight to the attack nature of the Botrytis cinerea fungus.

Understanding the Enemy: Causes of Botrytis Cinerea

Botrytis cinerea fungus is a necrotrophic fungus, which also prefers to develop in cool and wet weather and that is also why our region is regarded as one of the most favorable ones to cultivate strawberries. This fungus completes its reproductive cycle with assistance of spores that may arrive with the wind or in the splash of rain or even on infectTools. Botrytis can establish itself in plant debris, the soil or in infected transplants and wait out difficult conditions until conditions are favorable once more. Strawberries are particularly prone to infection thanks to high sugar concentration and thin strawberry skin. Prolonged leaf wetness, just 13 hours of dew or rain may accelerate grey mould strawberries. By the time the disease got properly established I discovered that my crop was an ideal setting to cultivate mold on strawberry plants and that conventional cultivation methods were not going to be enough to save my crop.

Failed Attempts: Conventional Methods & Lessons

I use chemical fungicides when I had started to lose hope of saving the harvest. These gave some temporary relief but I soon found out that the fungus seemed to come back with more vengeance after each application I made. I was cultivating opposition, and I was even more concerned with the impact of the regular use of chemicals on the environment. I also resorted to Botrytis blight treatment neem oil solution; some of the members of the agriculture community had experienced such outbreaks before and they recommended grey mould treatment as solution. Despite the fact that neem oil has been heralded as a natural remedy, it was not so effective in the control of severe botrytis gray mold, especially during wet weather when the disease pressure was high. Reflectively, it is observable that some aspects of my own culture Srinivasa acted to worsen the situation. There was over crowding of plants, and poor air movement that created a humid microclimate where grey mould strawberries could incubate. Even cautious removal of infected material was however not enough to break the cycle. It came to be realised that Botrytis blight chemical control of strawberry fruit rot was only a short term measure and not a long term solution.

The Turning Point: Discovering Organic Solutions

During the search of a better answer, I encountered Trichoderma harzianum for botrytis gray mold treatment​, which is a friendly fungus and a natural antagonist to Botrytis cinerea. Trichoderma colonizes root and leaves of the plant where it competes with the pathogenic fungi and also induces the immune systems of the plant. I began to use a Trichoderma as a foliar spray, Trianum-V, (organic fungicides for blight) once a week during bloom and again once before harvest. The result was excellent. I have noticed that strawberry gray mold and blight on strawberries reduced by 70 percent after three weeks. My plants seemed to be more healthy, the berries were firm and juicy and the best part I did not have to concern myself with chemical residue. This best fungicide for botrytis for treating botrytis blight not only controlled the disease, but also gave my field some balance it really needed and gave me hope again that I would make it through future seasons.

Integrated Strategy: Combining Natural & Cultural Practices

Experience taught me that there can be no magic bullet solution. Integrated management was the only way out to cultivate botrytis at bay. The field sanitation was turned into a daily routine and the infected debris was removed and crop rotation performed so that to interrupt the disease cycle. I also made spacing between the strawberry rows free to enable free movement of air and hence reduce humidity that really helped in Botrytis blight chemical control. In mild cases I used to neutralise early infections with bicarbonate sprays but my ace card was the Trichoderma foliar spray for botrytis blight treatment​ which I now use regularly as a precaution against botrytis blight during the season. I also purchased humidity sensors to monitor the danger periods and Field scouting was also given my first priority. This is viewed as a result of the fact that I could observe the mold on the strawberry plants in time and hence am able to take measures before the disease spreads.

Conclusion: A Sustainable Path Forward

In my reflection of the experience, I can authoritatively say that the experience I acquired concerning the botrytis gray mold treatment​ has transformed my thoughts about farming. Trichoderma for botrytis blight treatment is such natural solution that is resilient, sustainable and not just a quick fix. My main messages to other growers would be the emphasis on early treatment, rotation of control methods and communication with the agriculture fraternity to learn and seek help. There are other farmers rich with experience and through sharing of our stories we shall all be empowered.

Healthy strawberries imply not only good yield, but also the remembrance about the harmonic nature. The strawberry fruit rot and strawberry gray mold can be saved by a combination of attentiveness, creativity, and local knowledge thrown in. And, eventually, when you happen to have botrytis gray mold, remember that you are not alone and that the issue has the solutions. Be curious, be connected and remain a student. That is the real secret in growing great strawberries and answer to how to keep strawberries from molding.

Reference: 

• Barakat, R. M., & Al-Masri, M. I. (2017). Effect of Trichoderma harzianum in combination with fungicides in controlling gray mould disease (Botrytis cinerea) of strawberry. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 8(4), 651-665.
• Mahdy, A. M., Fawzy, R. N., Hafez, M. A., & Ahmad, T. A. L. (2014). Biological control of gray mould disease caused by Botrytis cinerea on strawberry fruits. Annals of Agricultural Sciences, Moshtohor, 52(4), 549-558.