Rotting fruit on the tree

Fruits rotting on the tree or bush are most often brown rot (monilinia) – a fungus giving brown, enlarging patches with cream-coloured concentric rings of spores. In damp conditions grey mould (botrytis) also attacks fruit with a grey, fuzzy coating. The pathogens usually enter through wounds from pests, hail or skin splitting.

Brown rot is a fungal disease of fruit trees (especially stone and pome fruit) that turns fruit brown and rotten, covered with cream-coloured, concentrically arranged spore pustules. Infected fruits dry into hard mummies that stay on the tree and become a source of infection for the following year in winter. Removing mummified fruit and infected shoots is key.

For storage select only sound fruit with unbroken skin, since rot spreads from one diseased fruit to its neighbours. Harvest carefully without bruising and keep the fruit in a cool, airy place, arranged loosely so pieces do not touch. Check stores regularly and immediately remove any fruit showing signs of rot.