How come growing plants aren’t damaged by mold?

Question

You see tons of timelapses on youtube of people putting fruits and vegetables into ground and filming them grow. Every time the surrounding fruit rots away and gets covered in mold, but the plant starts growing anyway.

I understand that the seeds are very durable, but how come mold doesn’t do any damage to the sapling? Can mold even damage it at all?

In: 13

Answer 1

The sapling part is growing and is very much alive. As such, it has defensive mechanisms to protect itself against bacteria and other agents.

Adding to that, a fruit is much more rich in nutrients than a saplings, and those agents thrive better on the former than on the latter.