How to Manage Pests
UC Pest Management Guidelines
Mucor Fruit Rot
Pathogen: Mucor spp.
(Reviewed 6/08, updated 6/08)
In this Guideline:
Like the fungus that causes Rhizopus fruit rot, Mucor spp. invade the fruit through the slightest wound. The fungus secretes an enzyme that rapidly results in a leaky fruit rot. Under conditions of high humidity, the berry becomes covered with a coat of tough, wiry mycelium and black, spherical spore-bearing structures. Mucor and Rhizopus fruit rots closely resemble each other and may be difficult to differentiate in the field.
Because the fungus lives on dead and decaying organic matter, field sanitation is important.
Remove all ripe fruit and plant debris from the fields. Remove and destroy all ripe and near-ripe fruit from fields after rains. Use plastic mulch to keep fruit from contacting soil. Practice good sanitation during harvest, packing, transport, and storage, and avoid damaging fruit at all times. Unlike Rhizopus, some Mucor species such as M. mucedo and M. piriformis are not inhibited by cold temperatures.
Organically Acceptable Methods
UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines:
Acknowledgment for contributions to Diseases: