Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds

Citrus storage moulds (197)


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Summary

  • Worldwide distribution. On citrus. Two moulds are common, blue and green. Important diseases.
  • They mostly occur in storage, with spores in the air infecting through wounds made during handling and by insects. Spread can also occur by fruit-to-fruit contact.
  • Cultural control: do not pick fruit when wet, as damage is more likely; handle carefully; remove infected fruit immediately, before sporulation; refrigerate if fruit held in storage for some time; wrap individually if fruit-to-fruit spread likely during transport.
  • Chemical control: use recommended fungicides against moulds; dip in thiabendazole at manufacturers’ dose rate for 30secs, within 24h of harvest.

Common Name

Citrus blue and green moulds

Scientific Name

Penicillium italicum (blue mould) and Penicillium digitatum (green mould).


AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information from CABI (2019) Penicillium italicum (blue mould), and Penicillium digitatum (green mould). Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/cpc/datasheet/39581 and https://www.cabi.org/cpc/datasheet/39570); and from Penicilllium digitatum. Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillium_digitatum). Photos 1&3 Gerald Holmes, California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org. Photo 2 Kohler F, et al. (1997) Diseases of cultivated crops in Pacific Island countries. South Pacific Commission. Pirie Printers Pty Limited, Canberra, Australia.

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.

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