FRESNO Calif. (KGPE) – The winter storm brought much-needed rain to farmers in California, but some are now battling mold on their crops related to all that moisture.
The flooding from those storms caused water mold. For example, almond crops in parts of the state are under attack by the pathogen Phytophthora.
It’s usually a soil-borne disease that attacks the roots of trees. Now, the water mold is attacking leaves, branches, and fruit itself. “It was able to swim up the trees and cause diseases in different parts of the trees that you would never see otherwise,” said Dr. Michael Hoffman with the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions.
For now, farmers are keeping an eye on their crops and working on better drainage to avoid the spread of this water mold.
