Water-soaked areas turn scabby and cracked. 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.