This page includes two categories of lesions:
Small lesions: may be raised, sunken, or imbedded:
- Bacterial canker | See factsheet for more information
Symptoms: white, raised, corky spots. The brown center “bird’s-eye” fruit symptoms do not always occur, especially in greenhouses.
- Bacterial speck | See factsheet for more information
Symptoms: tiny black spots that are sometimes raised or imbedded.
- Bacterial spot
Symptoms: small, brown, scabby, sunken, or slightly raised spots.
- Black mold
Symptoms: infection commonly follows damage, as seen with herbivory and insect feeding.
- Target spot
Symptoms: dark brown, sunken spots enlarge with cracked centers.
- Alfalfa mosaic virus
Symptoms: sunken, irregularly shaped spots following systemic infection.
- Cloudy spot (Stinkbug feeding injury) | See factsheet for more information (LIHREC)
Symptoms: yellow to whitish spots of irregular sizes. White, spongy tissue extends into the flesh.
- Tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris) feeding injury
Symptoms: windowpane-like feeding damage. Can allow establishment of secondary pathogens.
Large lesions, often sunken:
- Anthracnose | See factsheet for more information (LIIHREC)
Symptoms: circular, sunken spots with a dark center occurring on mature fruit. Common.
- Late blight | See factsheet for more information
Symptoms: large, firm, greasy, rough, brown spots with a distinct edge. Sporulation may occur.
- Buckeye rot | See factsheet for more information (LIHREC)
Symptoms: large, firm, smooth, brown spots with concentric zones.
- Yellow/green shoulder
Symptoms: affected area is exposed to sun and chlorophyll fails to change as fruit matures.
- Hail injury
Symptoms: irregularly shaped, sunken lesions.
More information/prepared by:
- For more information, please contact:
Meg McGrath – mtm3@cornell.edu & Chris Smart – cds14@cornell.edu - Originally prepared for Vegetable MD Online by Thomas A. Zitter.