Brown rot (Monilinia fruticola) is a common and destructive disease of stone fruits (peach, plum, cherry, apricot).
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Appearance:
Diseased flowers wilt, turn brown, and may become covered with masses of brownish-gray spores.
Fruit infections appear as soft brown spots which rapidly expand and produce a tan powdery mass of conidia.
The entire fruit rots rapidly, then dries and shrinks into a wrinkled “mummy.”
Timing:
Symptoms first appear in the spring as the blossoms open.
Young fruits are normally resistant, but may become infected through wounds.
As fruits mature they become more susceptible to attack, even in the absence of wounds.
Damage:
Blossoms are destroyed, reducing fruit crops
Fruit rots may destroy entire fruit crops.
Treatment:
Prune and thin for good air circulation
Sanitation! Remove any rotting fruit and mummies from the site.
Apply Serenade Fungicide at bud break.
Spray Neem and fermented teas in the fall on the tree and ground to destroy spores.
Resources: Patrick L. Byers, Horticulture Specialist and Michael Phillips, “The Holistic Orchard”