A serious fungal threat before the Bombs, Crop Rot is a devastating occurrence after them. A mutant strain of white mold, Crop Rot affects farms from the Gold Coast to Cascadia. Spreading by spores, it also exhales radiation drug up from the soil, further threatening farmers.
Biology[]
Crop Rot is a spore-bearing fungal bacteria, mutated from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sometime after the War. Once a spore arrives onto a suitable plant, often something low to the ground and shady, it will grow and expand into a simple two-part organism. These consist of the mycelium and the sclerotia, the former of which gave rise to its pre-war name, white mold. The Sclerotia will eventually develop spore sacs, enabling the infection to spread. The absorbed radiation in addition to its basic genetic structure make it toxic to humans, but it is rarely fatal in small to medium doses.
Properties[]
Crop Rot main property is it's namesake, causing plants to wither and die as it syphons nutrients from it's host. As the Fungus spreads it will also spread tendrils to the vascular system of the infected plant, absorbing further nutrients and radiation, the latter of which is exhaled out of it's pores, increasing latent radiation levels. It is unknown how the fungus is able to pass the radiation without damaging itself, and is even theorized to have a natural form of Rad-Away, though no one has analyzed it in a lab setting yet.
Appearance[]
Crop Rot is known for it's distinctive white, fluffy fungus that is sometimes confused with Radgauze. There will be streaks of black in older growths as the Sclerotia develop, but these are often hidden in the inner part of the growth.
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