Neonectria rot - symptoms of Neonectria fruit rot

  • The fruit rot occurs on the eye, the stalk end or on the cheek.
  • The rots are soft, slightly sunken, with the rotted part easily scooped out from the sound flesh.
  • Eye rots are visible in the orchard from early summer as well as in store.
  • They are usually brown in colour with white/creamy cobwebby sporing pustules visible on mature rots.
  • Cheek and stalk-end rots only appear in store and are circular, brown with pale brown centres.
  • Neonectria rots appear in cold-stored fruit from late December onwards and increase in incidence the longer the fruit is stored.
  • The rot colour depends on variety and storage conditions.
  • Rots on fruit stored in low oxygen tend to be green in colour with very little sporulation, whereas those in higher oxygen storage tend to be brown with white/creamy sporing pustules.