Botrytis blight of peanut is a late-season disease that generally occurs in cool, wet weather. Infected tissues rapidly develop a water-soaked, brown appearance and are frequently covered by a greyish-brown mold. Although all currently planted varieties are susceptible to Botrytis blight, NC 17 appears to be highly susceptible to this disease.

Infection may progress rapidly down pegs and into pods within soil. Decayed pods frequently exhibit flattened, black irregularly shaped sclerotia on their surface. These sclerotia function as survival structures for the fungus.