Choanephora cucurbitarum
(Berk. & Ravenel) Thaxt., (1903)

Rots in Choanephora

- Classification: Fungi, Zygomycota, Incertae_sedis_, Incertae_sedis_, Mucorales, Choanephoraceae
- synonyms: Choanephora heterospora BS Mehrotra & MD Mehrotra (1962) [1961]; Choanephora infundibulifera f. cucurbitarum (Berk. & Ravenel) Schipper .
- English names: fruit rot, Choanephora fruit rot, cucurbit flower blight


C. cucurbitarum is an opportunistic fungus which has been reported in many countries distributed in tropical to subtropical zones : from Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Pakistan ), Africa (Benin, Congo, Ghana, Guinea , Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt ), several states in the United States, Central America and the Caribbean, South America (Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela) and Oceania (Australia , French Polynesia, New Caledonia ).

It does seem not to be rampant in Europe , and in particular in France.

It is likely to develop on a wide variety of hosts :
- in Cucurbitaceae; it is reported on watermelon, zucchini, various squash, pumpkin, vegetable sponge ( Luffa cylindrica );
- in other vegetables, especially chili, eggplant, radish, cauliflower, beans, peas, spinach, potatoes, but also yams, sweet potatoes, okra? ? ;
- in various other plants, whether or not cultivated, such as amaranth, cowpea, hibiscus, fig, cotton, papaya, kilometer bean (V igna sinensis ), mung bean ( Vigna radiata ), sorghum, the manioc...

Its damage on Cucurbitaceae can occasionally be very important if the climatic conditions are lenient; in this case, it is responsible for rotting a large proportion of the fruit.