Thriving in cool, humid environments, Botrytis can be problematic from late fall to early spring. It is particularly threatening to newly propagated material like germinated/young seedlings, unrooted cuttings and plants that have been or will be boxed, stored or transported.

Botrytis can quickly appear under the right conditions and spread rapidly throughout the crop and production area. It is important to check plants regularly, particularly in the lower part of the canopy, as this is where infections can first appear. Initial symptoms to look for are water-soaked spots on foliage and flowers.

All ornamental crops are at risk for Botrytis infection; however, there are specific crops that should be checked weekly for developing symptoms, such as pansies, geraniums and impatiens.

Cultural Tips

• Provide a clean, dry growing environment
• Irrigate early in the day to reduce the amount of time leaves are wet
  • Botrytis spores need a film of water to germinate, so keeping the leaves as dry as possible reduces the chance of the fungus being able to thrive.
• Provide good plant spacing and horizontal air flow
• Keep humidity low by heating or venting
• Immediately remove wounded and diseased plants, as well as dead flowers and leaves, to limit spore production and spread

Applying a rotation of effective fungicides, like Mural^® and Palladium^®, during production and prior to storage and shipping, can help protect crops from Botrytis. Mural has modes of action in FRAC groups 7 + 11, which makes it a great partner to rotate with Palladium, as its modes of action are in FRAC groups 9 + 12.

Mural is a flexible and broad-spectrum fungicide that can control diseases from propagation to shipping. As an advanced generation SDHI, Mural has shown superior systemic control compared to strobilurin fungicides. This makes it an excellent choice for combatting diseases like Botrytis, as it moves through the plant for extended protection of new growth.  
For more tips for how to defend against Botrytis, including a product rotation program, view our Botrytis rotation program. 

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©2020 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties and/or may have state-specific use requirements. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration and proper use. Mural^®, Palladium^® and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Pageant^® is a trademark of BASF Corporation.