Lesions are usuallyĪre there tomato cultivars which are resistant to late blight?Ĭurrently there are no tomato cultivars with complete resistance to late blight. Large rough, brown lesions appearįigure 2. Infection of a tomato field can occur in a few days. Under favorable conditions, all parts of the plant can become infected. On the stem while the foliage appears burnt Move from the outside of the canopy inward (Figure 1).įigure 1. Infection on the lower leaves of the tomato plant, late blight infections seem to Unlike early blight, which typically begins The lesions eventually turn brown and the plant looks like it has beenįrost-damaged or blasted by a blowtorch. Late blight symptoms include leaf, stem, and fruit lesions that have a water-soakedĪppearance. What are the symptoms of late blight on tomatoes? Late blight is favored by cool, wet weather and will cycle repeatedly if weather Rain deposits spores onto plants, causing infection. Spores of this fungus can be airborneĪnd travel great distances in storms. Late blight is spread from infected transplants, volunteer potato or tomato plants,Īnd certain weeds botanically related to tomatoes. Late blight ( Phytophthora infestans) is one of the most serious fungal diseases that Lawn, Gardening & Pests Learning Activities.Consistent observationĪnd action will see us through most problems. Small-scale gardeners can attend our plants daily. Many of the protocols recommended by experts are farm-sized solutions. One step ahead of the infection and we had a fabulous tomato crop. The copper and spores, and it continued to ripen. We harvestedįruit as it began to ripen, washing with soap and water to remove The spray protected the fruit (which isĭamaged by surface spores rather than systemically). Pruning with a copper spray (a total of five times at the recommendedĥ–10 day interval). Material to the dump-not the compost pile. Leaf and stem below every stem lesion, making sure the remaining We pruned extensively, clipping off every infected I monitored twice every day, and trained my workers to see theĭifference between early and late blights and to attack LB immediatelyĪnd sytematically. (Jones, Jones, Stall & Zitter, APS Press, ISBN 0-89054-120-5),įrom Cornell’s information site (see sidebar below) and fromĭr. The best information came from The Compendium of Tomato Diseases Instead I read all the references I could find about tomato diseases. Hand-held sprayers and an NOP-approved copper fungicide formulation.Īvailable information was incomplete and conflicting. Miss the early round of blight as we grow all our own seedlings. For more information, contact AmyĪt Tomato Lovers Paradise, We managed to Because disease spores travel air-borne, allowing unstaked plants to sprawl may reduce their vulnerability.Purchase only new certified-disease-free seed potatoes. Do not use saved potatoes as seed stock.Grow your own tomato plants or buy locally grown seedlings.
Late blight on tomatoes is not seed-borne.If you compost any diseased material, do not use that compost Destroy, do not compost, any infected plants, fruits or.Septoria can live over the winter on live tissue, so don’t compost affected plants. It can be spread by wind or carried on clothing and tools. It can eventually spread to the entire plant in conditions of high humidity and temperatures. It is characterized by yellowing and small circular spots on older leaves. Septoria Leaf Spot can appear almost overnight. Still later, hard crusty lesions form on fruits. Early in the season, late blight infection shows as roundish lesions on leaves that uniquely will cross the center vein of the leaf. Later in the season the wind can bring it from any direction. As the earliest infection arrives on warm southerly winds, monitor the south and southeast sides of the garden carefully. Late blight usually starts at the top of the plant or on the windward side. Mulching deters EB reducing rain splash on foliage. EB can be managed culturally, should not result in The strain in 2009 was the same as caused the infamous IrishĮarly blight shows up as drying and dying leaves at the bottom Phytophthora infestans affects both potato and tomato