What is Botrytis cinerea?
If you’re cultivating crops of any kind, you’re all too familiar with horticulture’s arch-enemy, Botrytis cinerea, better known as gray mold. While not a human pathogen except in rare cases 
, this fungus affects over 200 plant species , particularly grapes and cannabis. Highly destructive, Botrytis cinerea can affect the healthy growth of crops in the field or in greenhouses. Worldwide agricultural losses are estimated of up to $100 billion by this harmful fungus which manifests itself at first as a white growth but over time darkens to smokey gray, softening the plant as cells are destroyed. It has also been described as having a powdery mildew-like appearance on the organic victims it attacks.
Preventing the spread of Botrytis cinerea
Plants by nature constantly transpire water vapor , which builds up in the air, causing relative humidity to quickly rise in the greenhouse. While a moist environment is necessary for plants to thrive, too much humidity creates a habitat well-suited to the growth of unwanted pathogens like Botrytis cinerea. To keep the air from becoming too saturated, regulated humidity control becomes essential in places like cannabis cultivation rooms. While the entire cannabis plant is at risk for infection, cannabis buds are particularly susceptible to the development of B. cinerea because they are dense and a perfect trap for water vapor. This mold also attacks cannabis in the post-harvest phase, including drying, curing, and packaging.
Spores develop outside and are typically brought into growing rooms via the clothing of those who work there. It is crucial that workers disinfect themselves prior to entering the sterile environment where plants are grown and harvested, almost as if they are entering a hospital.
Existing treatment methods to counteract the growth of this fungus are air filtration, positive pressurization, and fungicides. Even parasitic options have been considered. While these methods can yield some positive results in the war against gray mold, the most effective and the cleanest way of inactivating Botrytis cinerea is germicidal ultraviolet irradiation , which you can read more about below.
Get Additional Protection with Germicidal UV Disinfection
In addition to the above preventative measures, Germicidal Ultraviolet (UV-C) air and surface disinfection (in the dosage listed below) can inactivate Botrytis cinerea in greenhouses and cannabis growing rooms. Our products use STER-L-RAY® Germicidal UV-C Lamps producing ultraviolet wavelengths at 254 nanometers, the region of germicidal effectiveness most destructive to harmful microorganisms.
Botrytis cinerea: Classification & UV-C Dose for Inactivation
| Organism: | Alternate Name: | Type: | Disease: | UV Dose*: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botrytis cinerea | B. cinerea | Mold | gray mold, bud rot | 110 mJ/cm2 |
Where is it found?
Nature
What can it infect?
Cannabis Plants
Fruit
Vegetables
How Does it Spread?
Humid Environment
Worker’s Infected Clothes
Botrytis cinerea Symptoms
The most common symptoms associated with Botrytis cinerea are as follows:
- Dark to light brown rot
- Presence of white to gray mold
- Wounded tissue
- Fading flowers
- Broken stems or injured leaves
Sources on Botrytis cinerea
The above information can be found on the following pages. Please read complete articles to learn more.
- Cultivation Facilities: UV-C’s Role
- Penn State Extension: Botrytis or Gray Mold
- DryGair: Botrytis in Cannabis
- ScienceDirect: Botrytis cinerea
- Nat’l Library of Medicine: The Destructive Fungal Pathogen Botrytis cinerea
* Nominal Ultraviolet dosage necessary to inactivate better than 99% of microorganisms. See sources below.
- Cultivation Facilities: UV-C’s Role in Protecting Crops and System Efficiency. Wladyslaw Kowalski, Daniel Jones. Engineered Systems Magazine, June 6, 2018
Learn More & Shop Our Products to Inactivate Botrytis cinerea
Made in the USA from U.S. and imported parts, Air & Surface Disinfection product lines from Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation® are constructed of the highest quality materials and use germicidal UV-C lamps to disinfect air and surfaces, inactivating microorganisms like Botrytis cinerea.
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