Tomato blight, caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans, is spread by wind and water splash. It also attacks potatoes and is triggered by warm, wet weather, making outdoor tomatoes more vulnerable than greenhouse tomatoes. The crop is quickly ruined, and even if it is picked immediately, the tomatoes will rot.
This article will provide instructions on how to prevent, identify, and treat tomato blight.
Continue reading.
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How To Identify Tomato Blight
To inspect tomatoes for blight, take careful notes of the following symptoms:
• Small dark spots appear first on older foliage near the ground, the leaf spots are round and brown, with a diameter of up to 1/2 inch.
• Larger spots have concentric rings that look like targets, the tissue around the spots frequently turns yellow.
• Leaves that have been severely infected turn brown and fall off, or dead, dried leaves may cling to the stem.
• At or just above the soil line, seedling stems are infected. The stem darkens, becomes sunken, and dries out (collar rot). The seedling wilts and dies if the infection girdles the stem.
• On older plants, stem infections are oval to irregular, dry brown areas with dark brown concentric rings.
• Fruit can become infected at any stage of development.
• Fruit spots have raised concentric ridges and are leathery and black. They are most commonly found near the stem. Fruit that is infected may fall off the plant.
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How To Prevent Tomato Blight
Infection does not have to be unavoidable if you take precautions to avoid the disease. Learn how to reduce the likelihood of blight ruining your tomato crop, as well as five blight resistant tomatoes to grow, in the sections below.
1. Keep tomatoes dry:
If possible, grow tomatoes in a greenhouse or polytunnel to keep the leaves dry and the fruits ripen early.
Plant in soil or compost that has previously held diseased plants.
Plants, including bush varieties, should be staked to keep their leaves off the soil.
If you’re growing tomatoes outside and blight strikes, try draping a polythene umbrella or a plastic roof over them to keep the rain off. This will reduce the likelihood of infection by preventing rain from splashing on the leaves.
When watering tomatoes, water first thing in the morning so the plants don’t sit wet all night. Keep the leaves dry by only watering the soil or compost. Remember that if the plants aren’t overwatered, the tomatoes will taste better.
Feed tomatoes only potassium-rich fertilizers, such as dedicated tomato feeds. Never use a high-nitrogen fertilizer on tomatoes because it promotes leaf production, which increases the likelihood of blight.
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2. Provide adequate ventilation:
When growing tomatoes outside, choose a sunny, well-ventilated location. Allow enough space between plants to allow air to circulate – don’t be tempted to plant any closer than the seed packet suggests.
Remove lower leaves as well as some higher up to improve air circulation. Vigorous bush varieties have an abundance of leaves and benefit from drastic pruning to thin the foliage and promote good ventilation.
Prevent greenhouses or polytunnels from becoming overly humid. Keep them well-ventilated, mop up water, and use a heater to reduce condensation as the evenings cool.
3. Don’t plant tomatoes near potato crops:
Potato crops are also susceptible to blight, and their proximity will make it easier for the blight to spread between crops.
Check plants for blight on a regular basis beginning in the summer, and dispose of badly diseased plants safely.
Remember to check your tomatoes and potatoes more frequently when the weather conditions are favorable for blight.
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4. Plant early tomatoes:
Cherry tomatoes are less susceptible to blight than beefsteaks because they ripen earlier and are often harvested before blight appears.
5. Maintain good hygiene:
When blight strikes, destroy blighted foliage to reduce the possibility of further infection. Potato tubers should not be left in the ground after harvesting because they may harbor blight. Because spores require a living host to survive for more than a few weeks, blighted foliage can be composted away from the crop.
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How To Treat Tomato Blight
The fungal infection Tomato blight can be devastating to crops, spreading easily via airborne spores to cause marring and mold on tomato plants; therefore, it is critical to act quickly once it is discovered. Here are some ideas for how to go about it:
1. Removal of infected plant part:
The most important aspect of blight treatment is to remove and destroy any affected areas of the tomato plant. If you notice any of these symptoms, prune those sections of the plant and dispose of them far away from your garden. The spores are likely to spread again as long as any parts of the plant or soil are infected with the fungal disease.
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2. Usage of fungicide:
One important way to address your blight problem is to use a fungicide. If the problem hasn’t spread too far, you can spray the surrounding area with a copper fungicide or biofungicide after removing any infected leaves.
3. Addition of mulch to the soil:
Mulch can add nutrients to your soil while also preventing spores from spreading further through the air. This reduces the likelihood of blight taking root in the first place.
Originally posted on March 22, 2022 @ 1:13 pm
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