Effects of wounding, fruit age and wetness duration on the development of cherry brown rot in the UK

Abstract

This research investigated the effects of wounding, fruit age and wetness duration on the development of cherry brown rot. Both Monilinia laxa and M. fructigena infected wounded detached cherry fruits, but M. laxa caused more infections than M. fructigena and only M. laxa efficiently infected intact detached fruits. Results from field monitoring and controlled inoculation in a polyethylene tunnel showed that the susceptibility of fruits to infection by M. laxa increased with fruit maturity. Infection of attached intact fruits by M. laxa was not affected by the length (3–24 h) of the wet period tested.