Dry eye rot (blossom end rot)
Disease
Dry eye rot (blossom end rot)
Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr
Distribution: Common to all fruit-growing regions in eastern North America.
Photos
Lesions are centered about the calyx.
William Turechek, USDA-ARS
B
Symptoms begin at the calyx end of the fruit, causing a reddish discoloration at the site of infection. The rot is at first soft, but eventually dries out, turning tan to brown with a red border. Dry eye rot is caused by the "gray mold" fungus. Infected fruit have a tendency to drop prematurely. If harvested though, infected fruit will develop gray mold in storage.