SUMMARYLoss of the water droplet above inoculation sites during the first day after inoculation inhibited lesion formation byBotrytis cinereaand prevented the development of spreading lesions ofB. fabae.With droplets present two general patterns of infection byB. cinereawere determined; in one, few or no symptoms were produced and in the other, limited lesions developed with marked browning of the inoculation site. Where few or no symptoms were produced, germination and germ‐tube growth were inhibited on the leaf surface.B. cinereawas inhibited within the leaf at sites bearing limited lesions; invading hyphae were restricted to brown epidermal cells. Fungal growth on the leaf surface was greatest at sites with most browning beneath the droplet area. Variation in lesion development byB. cinereacould not be related to droplet position or leaf damage during normal preparation for inoculation. Plants differed in their susceptibility to lesion formation byB. cinerea.B. fabae, with droplet present, was not inhibited on the leaf surface and spread inter‐ and intra‐cellularly beneath the inoculum drop and then into surrounding tissues. Delay in spread until the inoculation site was completely necrotic and colonized suggested thatB. fabaeis partially inhibited during the initial phase of infection. The rate of lesion spread varied in different plants and was most rapid in the youngest l