Fungus Causes US Pumpkin crops to rot
Pastor Dale Morgan
Oct 7, 8:49 PM EDT
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Fungus Causes US Pumpkin crops to rot*
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Halloween lovers hoping to create the perfect
jack-o-lantern might want to shop carefully this year because of a
pumpkin fungus that has put a big dent in US pumpkin crops.
Two types of fungus or rot have affected crops from the Midwest to New
England, causing pumpkins to develop mold in some spots and then begin
decomposing, said Daniel Egel, a Purdue University Extension plant
pathologist. The entire inside of the pumpkin eventually rots until the
shell falls apart.
A combination of high temperatures and record rain in August has helped
the fungi flourish, Egel said.
Nina Kent, co-owner of Kent's Cucurbits in White County, said one
variety of her pumpkins has about 85 percent loss because of the rot.
"We really didn't know until we went out and started picking around the
17th of September," she said. "It's as if they're rotting from the
inside out."
The rot has also hit Purdue University's Meigs Farm in Lafayette. Karen
Rane, a plant disease diagnostician, turned over a pumpkin and the
underside collapsed in her hands.
"It's sporadic across the state," she said.
The pumpkin problems may mean more shopping for Halloween lovers like
Lafayette resident Dave Gray. Gray decorates his home each year and said
he buys as many pumpkins as possible to create jack-o-lanterns.
"As a kid, I liked it better than Christmas because you get to dress
up," Gray said.
At D&R Market in Lafayette, for example, jumbo pumpkins are not being
sold this year. Tad Ritchie, a produce worker at the market, said the
store had to stop selling the larger varieties because its supplier had
none healthy enough to pick.
The market is selling normal size pumpkins, but Ritchie fears that
supply could run out before Halloween.
"My grower told me he's only getting about a 40 percent yield," Ritchie
said. "It'll be bad for anybody that doesn't get one by about the 15th
of October."
Shoppers should look for bright orange pumpkins with strong, green
stems, which indicate the fruit was picked recently while the vine was
healthy, Egel said. Consumers should also check for moldy areas or soft
spots, especially on the bottom of the pumpkins, he said. Pumpkins
should be stored in dry, shady areas until carving.