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What is Tomato Blight ? Tomato blight refers to a family of pathogen , triggered by a fungus which spreads through tomato foliation , often during wet conditions .
The two most omnipresent variety oftomato blightare theearly blight , induce by fungous spores of Alternaria solani or Alternaria tomatophila , andlate blight , cause by watermold spore of Phytophthora infestans .
Early blight , as the name suggest , usually strikes during early tomato time of year , while tardy blight strikes in the mid - to - belated season .
Although these diseases are made up of different microorganisms , the answer is the same .
For tomato plant farmers , the demolition due to the blight can be annihilating fashioning for a long growing time of year .
Early Blight on Tomatoes
Identification
Early blight can come about for the infestation of Alternaria tomatophila or Alternaria solani , two metal money of fungi .
Alternaria tomatophila is more deadly than Alternaria solani . In region where Alternaria tomatophila exists , it is the principal cause of tomato blight .
In home where it is abstracted , Alternaria solani causes blight in Lycopersicon esculentum .
Early blight on tomato plantsis characterize by lesions that look like bull’s - eyes .
In love apple , the blight occurs in the Old parting first and is visibly discover as small dark-brown - shameful , dry , paperlike brown spots with concentric rings , that mensurate up to half an in in diameter . In some cases , the integral industrial plant is infected and must be destroyed .
The foliage with the lesion may turn yellow . ripe lesions may become cover with velvety patches of fungal spore , while yield spots have a sour , leathery visual aspect with raised concentric ring .
Damage
Early blight can cause collar rot , which turns stanch brown , dry and recessed and results in the death of seedlings .
The blight spreads into the yield via the point of attachment or wound make by insects , infect the intact yield .
In warm and dampish conditions , the dark brown wound on the leave will rapidly grow larger , causing chlorosis and significant defoliation , lead to sunscald .
septic fruits have bleak , blister spots and can fall from the stem .
Late Blight
triggered by Phytophthora infestans – which means “ works destroyer ” in Latin . Late blight does not just attack tomato plant plant , but potatoes as well .
The disease is characterise by small , necrotic , water system - soaked , pale to dark dark-green spots , often surrounded by yellowish anchor ring .
These lesion are not march by folio veins but can grow across them .
As they grow , the leaf bit in infect plants flex into large ignominious and purple patches .
During moist weather , a white , fluffy growth smother the decayed area on the underside of the leaves . Infested tomatoes give off a foul , decay odor .
Stem lesions are dark brown with well - defined borders .
Related : Does Neem Oil Kill Tomato Blight ?
recent blight is the bad kind of disease afflict potatoes and love apple .
It is notorious for do the 1840s Irish Potato Famine , during which a million people die and resulted in a passel hejira of over a million and a half Irish citizens .
The disease results in the tomato plant cutis film on a dark purplish color .
When the yield is reduce , the brown , granular decompose with indistinct margin can be seen exsert into the pulp .
previous blight can quickly vote out leaves and travel down the leafstalk into the stem , drink down the plant in its wake .
If salt away tomatoes in warm and damp expanse , the disease will go forward to progress .
Tomato Blight Cultural Prevention
Watering
Moisture provides the perfect circumstance for spore to reproduce . keep off water your tomato industrial plant from above .
irrigate the grime with drip irrigation around the base of the plant to keep foliage dry .
Watering should also be done in the sunup so the plant has a fortune to become dry during the solar day .
Rotation
implant resistant varieties and turn out tomato crops to different parts of your vegetable garden every year and do not implant near murphy that are affected by blight .
Spacing and Pruning
Give tomatoes plentitude of way to rise and stake them instead of cage them .
The flow of air will keep the plants dry , and make it difficult for the rot to spread if thetomato plants are spaced apart .
Pruning tomato plant plantswill allow for better airflow and actively growing plant life
Mulch
Mulching tomato plants deters the spreadhead of spores , which causes other and previous blight .
If the flora gets infected , the surrounding mulch may house spores , and it demand to be taken off - site and burned .
Organic Fungicides
Copper fungicides are also useful in fight off former and late blight . understand the education label cautiously and wear mitt to fend off getting fungicides on your hand .
Chemical Control
Chemical antifungal are very utilitarian in fighting tomato blight .
However , it is important to rotate between dissimilar chemical to avoid developing resistance in pathogens for certain fungicides .
Some active ingredients to hold tomato blight include :
Make applications of chemic antifungal when environmental conditions are favorable and recapitulate as necessary .
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