Botrytis

Blight
of Tulip
and Management
Gloribelle M. Diaz Cruz

Table of Contents
Table of Figures............................................................................................................................. 2
Abstract......................................................................................................................................... 3
Botrytis Blight of Tulip: Botrytis Tulipae......................................................................................3
How to prepare against Botrytis Tulipae...................................................................................... 4
Management Plan......................................................................................................................... 5
References..................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure references.......................................................................................................................... 7

Table of Figures
Figure 1: Botrytis Tulipae gray mold in roots (Botrytis blight of tulip:
Botrytis Tulipae - Cornell University.)............................................................................................3
Figure 2: development of Botrytis (Botrytis blight of tulip: Botrytis Tulipae
- Cornell University.).......................................................................................................................3
Figure 3: Moldy Bulb (Molly. (2011, November 30). Moldy tulip bulbs. Moldy Tulip Bulbs.)....4
Figure 4: Tulip Fire in petal (Disease/viruses. Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. )...................................4

Abstract
Tulips have been in this planet for ages and have become one of the most planted flowers in the
world. Because of that they are one of the most to get infected with diseases and viruses. The
area that’s most threatening for the tulip is the bulb or stem nematode, which we will not
 mention in this paper, but we urge growers to keep a close eye on
them. The climate has caused theses fungus and mold that trouble
the flower in the long run. The fungus spreads very easily, are very
small seed like spots and feed on the living or dead plants as we
can see from Figure 1. Botrytis Tulipae is one of the most
dangerous of the fungi so sSanitation and monitoring the tulips is
very important when the fungi is Botrytis Tulip is spreading around
your garden. Maintaining a balance between wet and dry weathers and feeding is very important
so you don’t create a home for the mold/fungi. We will be discussing various ways to protect and
clean your plants from the diseas.

Botrytis Blight of Tulip: Botrytis Tulipae

Botrytis tulipae or best known as Tulip fire is a fungus disease that spreads a wide array of
annual and perennial plants (please see figure 2 for a descriptive development). The disease
causes blights and grows in 60 F or 15 C, rainy and hot weather. Any humidity will affect the
flowers growing system, so it is important to try to keep them in dry weather with a bit of water
not a lot or so little. The fungus ends up taking over as sclerotia and infects others surrounding it.
(Cornell University. (n.d.).)( Gould, C. J.
(n.d.).)
Gray mold will form around the bulb and
keep spreading around the flower. Leaf

malformation is the first sign that will

appear as wellFigure
as large/light tan patches
3: Moldy Bulb (Molly. (2011, November 30).
Moldy tulip bulbs. Moldy Tulip Bulbs.)
around the leaves in the light-colored
flowers. On the dark colored flowers, we
will notice white spots and on white
flowers the spots will be brown. If

Figure 2: development of Botrytis (Botrytis blight of tulip: Botrytis Tulipae - Cornell

University.)
 botrytis tulipae keeps spreading, you will notice an infection appearing in the stem as gray or
brown colors and the flower will begin to collapse. Bulbs can also become infected with yellow
to brown sunken spots as we can see from Figure 3. On dead bulbs or flower small, black
sclerotia fungus can be spreading around the area. (Cornell University. (n.d.).)( Gould, C. J.
(n.d.).)

How to prepare against Botrytis Tulipae

The fungus begins when the tulips are in bloom in the spring and infects the leaves. You may see
spots around the leaves, and some may turn a tan color which is a symptom of the disease
spreading and will increases the infection to spread around the petal and stem as we can see from
Figure 4. The mold/fungus will take over as sclerotia in infected plants.
Tulips have various types of diseases but thankfully people have created different types of
management system for us to take care of each infection. Weekly sanitation, monitoring and
fungicide spray are required for the best way to manage with this disease. Carry with you a bag
to place any infected plants or leaves so you may throw them away or even burn them to
decrease chances of getting other things infected. Try to maintain area
of sanitation as dry as possible so the chances of spreading the fungus
or low. Spreading plants around when planting is a good idea so that
air circulation is better for them to dry when is raining or when you are
watering them. Removing weeds growing around the area is required
Figure 4: Tulip Fire in petal (Disease/viruses.
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm.) for better air flow, be very caution when removing or digging around
the flower. Remove any weird looking bulbs, most likely they are
infected with some type of fungi or virus. (Cornell University. (n.d.).)
( Gould, C. J. (n.d.).)

Management Plan
Tulip fire need to be cut and removed from area before the flower
begins to fade. Remove and cut at ground level when flower or leaves begins to turn yellow.
Fungicide spray protects plants from diseases and infections, it's good to apply when flowers are
starting to bloom in the spring. If you have had problems with Botrytis blight before it's good to
start praying flowers earlier when spring weather is at its coolest and wet. Instructions regarding
the process of spraying may be seen the label of the bottle as well as warning and precautions to
be aware of. The primary ingredient to activate the protection to the plants is neem oil or Bacillus
Subtills to induce systemic resistance (ISR). Tulips are very delicate flowers so presenting them
with that extra protection of having sufficient space between each flower so that air may flow
better between them. If flowers are too close the water may take longer to dry and create that
extra step for mold or fungi to form. They need to be watered once every week when planted
then don’t touch them until spring, they need very little water so in very dry days it's when you
can water them when in bloom. Weekly sanitation is required to keep a close eye with the
flowers and walking around with a bag is a great help so when you spot any damaged flowers
you can take them away from the healthy ones. Separation between the infected and healthy
flowers is very important because the infection can be easily transmitted. If you haven’t already
planted bulbs, it's good to also dip bulb into fungicide liquid so it has a better protection when
planting. Following these steps to protect your garden are very useful to have a better and
healthy harvest of flowers and one may enjoy a beautiful spring and even year. (Cornell
University. (n.d.).)( Gould, C. J. (n.d.).) (W;, M. S. R. (n.d.).)

Conclusion
Tulips with their beautiful and vibrant colors are represented and one of the most beautiful
flowers on earth. They have a beautiful history and over time have been investigated regarding
all types of diseases they obtain. We talked about the different symptoms and how to maintain
them. Tulips come in various colors, and sizes so we have to be very careful about how we
proceed to plant and take care of them. Botrytis Tulipae also known as Tulip Fire has a weird
mix of weather which makes sense because that type of weather is how people get sick. Tulips
are beautiful flowers, and we need to take care of them as much as possible and keep studying
different ways to make them live more and not fade over time.
References
Botrytis blight of tulip: Botrytis Tulipae - Cornell University. (n.d.).
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/botrytisblighttulip.pdf

Gould, C. J. (n.d.). Diseases of Tulips . file:///Users/gloribellemariediazcruz/Desktop/TULIPS

%20DISEASES.pdf

W;, M. S. R. (n.d.). Bacillus subtilis impact on plant growth, Soil Health and Environment: Dr.
Jekyll and mr. Hyde. Journal of applied microbiology.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35137494/#:~:text=Bacillus%20subtilis%20is%20a
%20common,can%20purify%20metal%20contaminated%20soil.
Figure references
Figure 1-2: Botrytis blight of tulip: Botrytis Tulipae - Cornell University. (n.d.).
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/botrytisblighttulip.pdf

Figure 3: Molly. (2011, November 30). Moldy tulip bulbs. Moldy Tulip Bulbs.
http://allthedirtongardening.blogspot.com/2011/11/moldy-tulip-bulbs.html

Figure 4: Disease/viruses. Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. (2015, February 3).

https://www.woodenshoe.com/care/disease-viruses/