Relationship Between Strawberry Gray Mold Incidence, Environmental Variables, and Fungicide Applications During Different Periods of the Fruiting Season

Abstract

Incidence of gray mold (caused by Botrytis cinerea) on harvested strawberry fruit was evaluated with respect to environmental influences and fungicide regimes over four consecutive years. Disease incidence at harvest was correlated with the average daily values of 13 environmental variables during four discrete periods (or combinations thereof; these periods occurred from bloom until harvest and were defined by the timing of fungicide applications in designated treatments. Correlation coefficients in sprayed plots were determined with a variable weighting factor that most accurately accounted for fungicide influence on individual environmental variable X spray period combinations [...]