The white rot fungus, Botryosphaeria dothidea, often referred to as "Bot rot" or Botryosphaeria rot, is most important on apple trees, but also attacks crabapple, pear, grape, and chestnut. On apple trees it can be observed as a distinct canker on twigs, limbs, and trunks. However, leaf infections do not occur. Losses from fruit rot can be considerable, especially in southeastern regions of the United States. Drought stress and winter injury have been associated with an increase in infection and canker expansion in northern states.

New infections on twigs and limbs become evident by early summer, appearing as small circular spots or blisters. As the lesions expand, the area becomes slightly depressed. Cankers stop enlarging in late fall and cannot be distinguished from black rot cankers, caused by Botryosphaeria obtusa. Isolation of the pathogen is necessary for correct identification of the causal organism. Spores of the fungus causing black rot are large, dark-pigmented structures, where as spores of the fungus causing white rot are much smaller and almost transparent.

By spring, small, black pycnidia, the spore-containing structures of the fungus, appear on the smooth surface of new cankers. On older cankers, these may be present throughout the year. Cankers exhibit a scaly, papery outer bark that is often orange. Tissues beneath the canker surfaces are watery or slimy and brown. Most cankers are not deep, extending at most to the wood.

Fruit rot is first visible as small, slightly sunken, brown spots that may be surrounded by a red halo. As the decayed area expands, the core and, eventually, the entire fruit become rotten . Red-skinned apple varieties may bleach during the decay process and become a light brown. Because of this characteristic, the disease may be referred to as "white rot."

Bot rot of fruit can be confused with both black rot and bitter rot. The decayed apple flesh of black rot is firm and somewhat leathery. Fleshy tissue infected by Botryosphaeria rot is soft. Bitter rot causes a cone-shaped area of decay and concentric rings of spores form on the surface

The fungus grows best under warm conditions, with the optimum temperature for infection about 86 degrees F. Conversely, for black rot infection the optimum temperature is about 68 degrees F.

White rot overwinters in dead bark, twigs, and cankers within the tree. Fire-blighted branches and dead wood are rapidly colonized and are an important source of inoculum. Living twigs, branches, and trunks may also be attacked. During spring and summer rains, spores ooze from these structures and are splashed to other parts of the tree. Fruit infections can occur at any time from the bloom period to harvest. Infections in young apples usually are not evident until the apples are nearly mature. Drought, heat stress, mechanical wounding, and winter injury favor disease development.

Same as for black rot of apple.