Q: Is there any way to prevent late blight?Ī: You can set yourself up for success by taking the following actions, but unless you are willing to spray with a fungicide on a regular schedule to protect plants before there are signs of a problem, there is still a chance that the disease will be carried on the wind into your garden even if you take precautions. Either way, it would be wise to do a thorough cleaning in the vegetable garden this fall. If hasn’t been determined if the late blight around this year is the common strain or a more virulent form of the disease. In the 1980s, additional forms of the fungus were found, including one resistant to some fungicides and able to overwinter in the soil. The common strain of late blight does not overwinter in soil. Q: Can the late blight overwinter in the soil?Ī: The answer to this question has yet to be determined. While late blight is not in seeds, it is unlikely the infected fruits matured enough to produce viable seeds. This applies even to tomatoes with only minor lesions, since we cannot be sure that the infestation has spread to the interior of the fruit and the extent of internal infestation is not always clearly visible.”Ī: To have viable seeds, the fruit must have reached maturity. “We recommend that tomatoes showing signs of late blight disease should not be used for canning. The reason for this recommendation is that fungus infestation may raise the pH of the tomato flesh to a level that makes it unsafe for canning,” the Penn State site reads. “The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning recommends that canners select only disease-free, preferably vine-ripened, firm tomatoes for canning. Avoid eating anything that looks or smells bad.”Ī: Tomatoes with blight are not recommended for canning or freezing, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences online site. Q: Can I eat the tomatoes and potatoes from infected plants?Ī: A Cornell University Web site states that the pathogen “should not be harmful to humans, if infected fruit and tubers should develop evidence of decay. This will help to kill the pathogen and limit the possibility of infecting other plants. As heartbreaking as it is to pull out plants with unripened tomatoes hanging on them, the best course of action is to immediately remove plants showing symptoms, place the diseased plants in a black plastic bag and leave it in the sun to cook. Q: I think I have late blight what should I do?Ī: Once a plant is infected, it cannot be cured. It prefers cool, wet weather and is slowed down by dry, hot weather. Late blight can become evident anywhere on the plant - top or bottom. It progresses up the plant from the base and rarely infects the stem. The leaves at the bottom of the plants typically get numerous brown spots with black specks in the center. Septoria leaf spot - another fungal disease - causes leaves to turn brown and die. Infected tubers get dark, circular to irregular spots with raised edges that are dark in color. Typically, the spots appear on the lower leaves first and dead leaves do not fall off the plants. The spots have tan centers with target-like rings and yellow halos. Q: How can I tell the difference between early blight, late blight and Septoria leaf spot?Ī: Early blight, Alternaria solani, is a common fungal leaf spot disease that hits its stride during warm, humid weather. If you cut open a tuber and discover late blight, be sure to sterilize the knife. Often, other opportunistic fungus and bacteria are present as well and produce a foul smell. If you cut open a tuber, you can see the brown decay. On the stems, you will find black to brown lesions and on the tomato fruits you will see firm, brown spots that get larger until the fruit clearly looks rotted. During periods of high humidity, if you look closely at the lesions you may notice a white fuzz. These start as irregular brown spots that get larger until the leaf dies. On both tomatoes and potatoes, large olive green or brown spots develop on leaves. A: Late blight’s symptoms are distinctive.
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