Keep an eye out for blight
I posted an article about late blight disease last month, but here's the latest news from The New York Times:
"A highly contagious fungus that destroys tomato plants has quickly spread to nearly every state in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic, and the weather over the next week may determine whether the outbreak abates or whether tomato crops are ruined, according to federal and state agriculture officials.
"A strain of the fungus was responsible for the Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century. The current outbreak is believed to have spread from plants in garden stores to backyard gardens and commercial fields. If it continues, there could be widespread destruction of tomato crops, especially organic ones, and higher prices at the market.
"The diseased seedlings, found in stores as far west as Ohio, were at least one source of the illness. Agricultural pathogens can easily spread when plants are distributed regionally and sold by big-box retailers.
"Authorities recommend that home gardeners inspect their tomato plants for late blight signs, which include white, powdery spores; large olive green or brown spots on leaves; and brown or open lesions on the stems. Gardeners who find an affected plant should pull it, seal it in a bag and throw it away, not compost it. Unaffected plants in home gardens and commercial fields should be sprayed with fungicide to prevent the spread of the disease. (More information can be found at a Cornell Web site.)
"Fungicides can protect unaffected plants from disease, but there is no cure for late blight. Organic farmers, who are not permitted to use powerful synthetic fungicides like chlorothalonil and Gramoxone, have very few weapons against this aggressive pathogen.
[That doesn't mean those weapons are ineffective. Refer to this National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service PDF on organic tomato production (disease control is on page 11), or their bulletin on the current late blight outbreak. There's also a bit of disease control information on this page at Oregon State. --Ed.]
"Hot, sunny weather, which can kill late blight, could dramatically slow or eliminate the fungus’s spread over the next week."
"A highly contagious fungus that destroys tomato plants has quickly spread to nearly every state in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic, and the weather over the next week may determine whether the outbreak abates or whether tomato crops are ruined, according to federal and state agriculture officials.
"A strain of the fungus was responsible for the Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century. The current outbreak is believed to have spread from plants in garden stores to backyard gardens and commercial fields. If it continues, there could be widespread destruction of tomato crops, especially organic ones, and higher prices at the market.
"The diseased seedlings, found in stores as far west as Ohio, were at least one source of the illness. Agricultural pathogens can easily spread when plants are distributed regionally and sold by big-box retailers.
"Authorities recommend that home gardeners inspect their tomato plants for late blight signs, which include white, powdery spores; large olive green or brown spots on leaves; and brown or open lesions on the stems. Gardeners who find an affected plant should pull it, seal it in a bag and throw it away, not compost it. Unaffected plants in home gardens and commercial fields should be sprayed with fungicide to prevent the spread of the disease. (More information can be found at a Cornell Web site.)
"Fungicides can protect unaffected plants from disease, but there is no cure for late blight. Organic farmers, who are not permitted to use powerful synthetic fungicides like chlorothalonil and Gramoxone, have very few weapons against this aggressive pathogen.
[That doesn't mean those weapons are ineffective. Refer to this National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service PDF on organic tomato production (disease control is on page 11), or their bulletin on the current late blight outbreak. There's also a bit of disease control information on this page at Oregon State. --Ed.]
"Hot, sunny weather, which can kill late blight, could dramatically slow or eliminate the fungus’s spread over the next week."
posted by mr damon at
9:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home