Jacket Rot of Monterey appeared to be caused by Botrytis.
Jacket Rot of Monterey appeared to be caused by Botrytis.

I have been receiving a few calls about issues with deformed almonds, particularly with the variety of Monterey. When looking at the nuts, it appears that the damage is associated with the jacket. This appears to be jacket rot. Samples submitted were placed in a humidity chamber and produced the gray/brown “fuzz” that is common to Botrytis, one of the causal agents of jacket rot.

Based on the weather, this appears to be an issue with the four day rain event that occurred as the jackets were splitting on the later blooming varieties. I dont suspect a major problem, unless we re-enter a period of rainy, cool weather.

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