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Generic causes and symptoms of Botrytis
Botrytis is caused by ascomycete fungi that can reproduce either sexually or sexually. The parasite is very resistant and affects a wide variety of plants, going to take all the defenses aggressively. Botrytis is also known as gray mold; this name is totally linked to the symptoms that appear on the structure of the plant after the attack of the pathogen. Initially, gray spots appear, sometimes very dark, almost black, on the leaves and on the shoots of the plant, then the less young parts of the vegetable structure are attacked. This gray mold brings the affected areas to a slow rotting process that ends up drying the plant. The fungus bearing Botrytis affects many types of plants, without category exclusion, ie it infects fruits, flowers, ornamental plants and vegetable plants without distinction. The main causes of the formation of this pathogen in plants, is first of all, a favorable climatic condition: Botrytis cinerea, this is the name of the fungus that carries the disease, is favored in particularly humid and cool environments. The word cinerea is placed side by side with the species of fungus to identify the particularity of the pathology that resides in the symptoms of which the plants suffer. Another unnatural cause, but achieved by human intervention, is a reckless dose of water. Watering the plants beyond what is necessary causes the water not absorbed by the soil to stagnate and become the ideal habitat for the formation of fungi or infections.
Plants affected by Botrytis
As for ornamental and garden plants, Botrytis affects the rose, while in cultivated and fruit plants it affects many specimens including: onion, peach, broccoli, carrot, apple tree, cabbage, vine and strawberry. Botrytis in the vine is particularly aggressive and progresses in two distinct phases. The vineyards most subject to this fungus are those that are found in the hills or in the valley bottom, moreover the favorable conditions for the formation of Botrytis are had even if the vine presents previous wounds due to other pathologies or to wrong cuts. Also in this case the high humidity rate widens the possibility of birth of the pathology. Environmental factors such as hail, rain or large thunderstorms put the vineyard at risk, causing a situation of poor defense that becomes an excellent way for the fungus to enter the cellular tissue. The degree of tolerance with respect to the progression of the disease of the various species of vine is different. For example, garganega is less affected by the attack of the pathogen, whereas the most sensitive ones are chardonnay and pinot grigio, because the thickness of the skin is very small. Botrytis affecting the vine is also dangerous for men, in fact it has been found that the pathology induces allergies and toxic reactions in people due to the particular aggressiveness of the famous gray powder, almost similar to ash, present on the fruits of the attached vine. As mentioned above, in the vineyard attached can coexist two types of Botrytis: the first attacks the buds and the floral parts of the plant, the second attacks the grapes and the bunches of the vine. The first form of Botrytis does not cause irreparable damage and in general can disappear with the arrival of a day from the spring climate, neither too hot nor humid. The second form of Botrytis is that which creates the greatest damage since it deeply attacks the vine, creeping into the bunches through the wounds present.
Care and defense of the plant against Botrytis
To protect plants from the disease, a certain prevention is necessary, as always. The prophylaxis to follow, to keep the plants with care and avoid incurring unpleasant surprises, is constituted by a base of rules that specify the way in which crops are kept. First of all, watering should be done sparingly, avoid watering the individual leaves directly and avoid sprinkling with water. Water control must be done to avoid stagnation in the soil where the plant has its roots. Even the soil must be controlled, in fact it must be properly drained and fertilized. When fertilizing, which should not be done too frequently, remember to use mature manure. A lot of attention must be paid during pruning to avoid creating injuries or wrong cuts that will be an infection pathway for the infection. All this is part of the prevention that must be done to have healthy plants, but if the fungus has already appeared, the elimination methods are different. It starts with the elimination of all the infected parts of the cultivation to avoid that they also attack healthy ones. The infected parts must be burned and thrown, without distinction of any kind. To avoid expansion in healthy parts, the fungus is contrasted with specific products; generally these compounds are based on nitrogen and copper, two excellent substances that block pathogens and pollute little.
