Cottonball Disease Cycle

Below is an illustrated disease cycle of cottonball in cranberries. Click on the stage of the disease for which you would like additional information. The pages to which you will be linked were written by Beth Workmaster for the class Plant Pathlogy 300 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

At bud break ascospores are disseminated from apothecia which developed from sclerotia.

Infection of new uprights causes tip blight while ectostromata on shoots bear conidia.

Flowers become infected by germinating conidia.

Young fruits lack external symptoms. Fungus grows in seed cavities.

By harvest time, infected fruits deveop hard rot, sclerotia develop in some fruit.