Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds

Cucurbit wet rot (144)


Click/tap on images to enlarge
Summary

  • Worldwide distribution. A common fungus, causing rots on fruit, flowers and leaves in bean, cucumber, papaya and tomato families. A minor disease.
  • Spores are splashed from soil onto wounds made by insects, weather events or during cultivation. Also, flowers wilt, become infected, then supply spores.
  • Spread is by spores on the wind. Worse in wet weather, high temperatures and high humidity.
  • Rots occur in cold storage without producing spores.
  • Cultural control: plant spacing important for squash and zucchini, allowing leaves to dry rapidly after rain.
  • Chemical control: none recommended.

Common Name

Cucurbit wet rot, Choanephora fruit rot, Choanephora blossom blight

Scientific Name

Choanephora cucurbitarum


AUTHOR Grahame Jackson and Mani Mua
Information from Gerlach WWP (1988) Plant diseases of Western Samoa. Samoan German Crop Protection Project, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) Gmbh, Germany; and CABI (20019) Choanephora cucurbitarum (Choanephora fruit rot). Crop Protection Compendium. (
https://www.cabi.org/cpc/datasheet/13038); and from McKenzie E (2013) Choanephora cucurbitarum: PaDIL - http://www.padil.gov.au. Photo 1 Gerald Holmes, Valent USA Corporation, Bugwood.org.

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.