Botrytis is a disease caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. The name comes from Greek and literally means “grape cluster made of ash”; in fact, the main host of this disease is the vine, whose bunches turn gray, ash-colored.
All fruits can be affected by botrytis, but the most typical ones, besides grapes, are strawberries and tomatoes.
The conditions that favor the disease are cool temperatures, around 18 to 25 degrees, combined with very high humidity. Very rainy spring and summer weather allows the fungus to spread quickly and damage crops.