The surface of a stored pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo, showing symptoms of rot. The picture shows several large developing colonies of black rot, Didymella

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The surface of a stored pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo, showing symptoms of rot. The picture shows several large developing colonies of black rot, Didymella bryoniae, (greenish brown patches with a dark edge and central peak). Also visible are many smaller colonies of the same organism that have developed subsequent to the primary infection. D. bryoniae is the most common cause of rotting of stored pumpkins. Storage rots in pumpkins may be caused by premature harvesting, and mechancial or insect damage to the skin. The risk of rot is also greater in fruits stored at temperatures below 10 degrees centigrade, and by exposure to high humidity.

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Size: 3468px × 5212px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: biological, biology, black, botanical, botany, bryoniae, cucurbita, damage, didymella, fruit, harvest, insect, lesion, pepo, pumpkin, rot, skin, storage