Envirologix: Putting Science to the Test

Botrytis

Botrytis in Ornamentals

Botrytis blight (sometimes called gray mold) is a fungus disease which infects a wide array of herbaceous annual and perennial plants. There are several species of Botrytis which can cause blights, the most common of which is Botrytis cinerea.

Botrytis cinerea can infect many ornamental plants including: anemone, begonia, calendula, chrysanthemum, dahlia, dogwood, fuchsia, geranium, gerbera, hawthorn, heather, hydrangea, marigold, pansy, periwinkle, petunia, rose, snapdragon, sunflower, sweet pea, violet, zinnia. Two other damaging Botrytis blight fungi have strict host preferences: Botrytis paeoniae infects peony, and Botrytis tulipae infects tulip, causing the disease known as tulip fire.

The best way to manage Botrytis is by inspection and sanitation. However, visual identification in its early stages is often difficult to distinguish from bacterial, viral or other fungal infections (or insect damage). We recommend using the QuickStix Kit for Botrytis as an effective tool for deciding whether it's necessary to take preventive measures in the field, or to make rejection or prevention decisions on the spot when receiving flower shipments.

Click here for detailed information on the QuickStix Kit for Botrytis in Ornamentals

Botrytis in Grape Wine Juice

Botrytis is one of the wine grape industry’s main diseases. It has been described as the industry’s “billion-dollar challenge,” owing to the associated costs of management, lower-quality berries and lost sales.

The EnviroLogix QuickStix Kit for Botrytis in wine grape juice is the first rapid test to detect and quantify the primary cause of bunch rot. Used with a QuickStix Reader, the test provides semi-quantitative analysis of Botrytis cinerea—enabling vineyards, laboratories and wineries to make better decisions on harvesting, segregation and processing.

The immunoassay testing format provides rapid, sensitive and affordable screening of a variety of compounds, a method that has been widely used in the medical, veterinary and horticultural industries for many years. Click here to see how immunoassays work.

The test kit uses a Botrytis monoclonal antibody that recognizes a specific Botrytis antigen in grape juice from infected berries. In its lateral flow (or immunoassay strip) format, the device has been used by researchers in California and New Zealand to detect and quantify the Botrytis fungus in juice from immature and harvested berries.

Frances M. Dewey, Ph.D., of the University of Oxford, England, created the measurement scale employed by the QuickStix testing system. The Dewey I-W Standard, developed during her work with the California Wine Grape Inspection Advisory Board, measures Botrytis levels on the basis of incidence or weight.

The scale is derived from combining 20 half-turgid Botrytis-infected berries with 80 uninfected berries, giving a 20 percent incidence standard. This juice is then diluted further into juice from uninfected berries to achieve a measurement range. Percent by weight is obtained by multiplying the incidence level by 0.333, as a half-turgid Botrytis-infected berry weighs, on average, one-third that of an uninfected berry.

The ability of the QuickStix system to determine whether Botrytis is present, and to what degree, allows growers and vintners alike to make critical decisions prior to crushing the fruit, so that the juice can be managed to best meet the winery's needs.

Click here for detailed information on our QuickStix Kit for Botrytis Grape Wine Juice.

Click here for detailed information on our other Plant Pathogen Test Kits

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