Plant experts recommend farmers, gardeners take steps to avoid another tomato blight outbreak

Tomato growers told to take steps against blight

CLAVERACK, N.Y. — Plant pathologists are already recommending farmers and gardeners take steps to avoid another outbreak of late blight. The disease destroyed millions of dollars worth of tomatoes in the eastern U.S. last summer.

Cornell University plant pathologist Meg McGrath says tomato growers can spray pesticides to try to prevent infection, but once late blight takes hold, the plants are lost.

Late blight flourishes in cool, wet conditions and can survive during the winter in living tissue, such as potatoes buried underground.

McGrath says growers need to destroy any potatoes left from last year before planting this spring.

She also says they need to watch for black patches on tomato stems, leaves and fruit. Infected plants must be pulled up, bagged and thrown out.

On the Net:

www.hort.cornell.edu/lateblight