Very small cucumbers show yellowish-brown superficial discoloration. The fruit can develop symptoms 24 hours after coming in contact with the fungus and the entire fruit can rot in 72 hours. Temperatures below 50 degrees F retard disease development during transit and storage. Cottony Leak Occurrence and importance. Infection occurs in the field and decay progresses rapidly.
Losses occur during wet weather over a wide range of temperatures.
Often it is worse after a drought. The Pythium species, which cause this disease, remain in the soil and attack a number of different host plants. Pythium sp. growing on cucumber fruit. The first symptoms on the fruit are soft, dark green, water soaked lesions or spots. Later, as it penetrates the tissues of the fruit, water is liberated in large quantities.