Common crops affected
- Vines
- Cucurbits
- Eggplant
- Tree fruit
What is it?
Phomopsis (teleomorph Diaporthe) is a fungal pathogen that infects leaves, stems/canes and fruit, surviving between seasons in crop debris and infected wood and releasing spores in wet weather.
How to identify it
- Small leaf spots that enlarge and coalesce, sometimes with pale centres.
- Elongated stem, cane or shoot lesions and cankers, occasionally girdling.
- Fruit rot, including post-harvest, often firm then mushy.
- Tiny dark fruiting bodies (pycnidia) speckling older lesions and dead wood.
Life cycle & spread
Overwinters in infected debris, canes and mummified fruit; produces spores in spring/summer that spread by rain splash to new growth and fruit; cycles in warm, wet weather.
Conditions that favour it
Warm, wet, humid weather; dense canopies with poor airflow; carry-over inoculum in unpruned debris and dead wood.
Damage and how it spreads
Reduces canopy health, weakens stems and canes, and rots fruit (in-field and post-harvest), cutting both yield and storage quality.
Monitoring & scouting
Inspect new growth and developing fruit in warm wet spells; check old canes/debris for fruiting bodies; act preventively under favourable conditions.
How to control it
- Remove and destroy infected debris and prunings, improve airflow, and apply protectant programs preventively and at first symptoms.
Recommended Vegalab solution: Spore Control
Spore Control — natural broad-spectrum fungicide (thymol) applied preventively as conditions favour disease and at first symptoms, with thorough coverage; combine with sanitation and canopy management.
| Role | Product | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Primary control | Spore Control |
Preventing it next season
Sanitation (remove debris, prunings and mummies), airflow/canopy management, and timely preventive sprays in warm, wet periods.
Claims and product availability vary by jurisdiction. Always read and follow the product label.