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Ohio’s pumpkin crop is turning out to be a paradise for diseases.

Localized heavy rainfall and cooler than normal temperatures have helped spawn such baddies as downy mildew and bacterial spot. The result, said Ohio State University plant pathologist Mac Riedel, could be a poor-yielding crop with no consistency in pumpkin size or quality.

Because of unfavorable weather conditions at the beginning of the growing season, pumpkins are behind in development. Most of the crop is just now starting to "size up" and turn color, and with diseases impacting the crop during this critical stage, it will be difficult for growers to harvest a large quantity of good-sized fruit.

Riedel said downy mildew is one disease specialists are concerned about. Downy mildew, which emerges under wet, cool conditions, affects crop foliage. It is characterized by fuzzy, white to grayish patches on the underside of the leaves. The upper part of the leaves may contain pale yellow or green spots.

Riedel said that once downy mildew starts, little can be done to stop its spread.

Bacterial spot is another disease that is impacting the pumpkin crop. The disease is characterized by small, round, white spots on the fruit that form cankers. The disease works its way to the rind, eventually rotting out the inside of the pumpkin.

Growers have already begun harvesting the crop in some areas to capitalize on the wholesale market. Harvest will continue through mid-October.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ohio is ranked fifth in the nation in pumpkin production. Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 acres of pumpkins are grown in Ohio, generating roughly $25 million a year in revenue in local sales and exports to southern states.