Late blight affecting the NorthEast

Elliot · July 13, 2009

In Newsday our local paper and even on the Ralph Snodsmith show as well as other media there are scary stories about this new fungus which is killing tomato plants. Snodsmith interviewd a plant disease specialist from Cornel University who said that if the spores hit a tomato plant it can kill it in three days.

Has anyone on this board been hit yet with this? Is there anyone out there who is accessible doing research on ways of preventing it?

Elliot
Long Island, New York

Robert Brenchley · July 14, 2009

What's happened to make it 'new'? Have you not had blight in the region before, or is it a case of a new strain reaching the area? It's got worse in the UK the last few years since a new strain arrived.

Elliot · July 14, 2009

They say its the same strain that killed the entire potato crop in Ireland in the 1800's. I heard an expert from Cornel Univerisiy agricultural school on radio who said that once it hits a plant, it can kill it within three days. Part of the problem may be that we have had a cold and rainy late Spring and a cold July. I cannot remember in my lifetime cool weather like we are having this July. It feels more like May than July

Robert Brenchley · July 14, 2009

If so that's the strain we traditionally had. We only had the one, and it propagated vegetatively. We now have a second strain, it reproduces sexually, and the problem has got worse.

I can't vouch for the three days, but three years ago I had a bed of Charlotte flowering merrily, for the second time. It's the only time I've seen this. They looked really healthy, then we had a few wet days and they rotted almost overnight.

Elliot · July 16, 2009

They claim that if the blight hits, it can kill a plant in three days

Frog · July 17, 2009

I lost my entire tomato crop to late blight in 2007, every plant died within 4 days. The progress of the disease was vey evident over each 12 hour period. It was ferocious, the fruit were reduced to balls of black with white fluff by day seven.

It broke my heart.

July 13, 2009	#1
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	Late blight affecting the NorthEast In Newsday our local paper and even on the Ralph Snodsmith show as well as other media there are scary stories about this new fungus which is killing tomato plants. Snodsmith interviewd a plant disease specialist from Cornel University who said that if the spores hit a tomato plant it can kill it in three days. Has anyone on this board been hit yet with this? Is there anyone out there who is accessible doing research on ways of preventing it? Elliot Long Island, New York

July 14, 2009	#2
Robert Brenchley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 31	What's happened to make it 'new'? Have you not had blight in the region before, or is it a case of a new strain reaching the area? It's got worse in the UK the last few years since a new strain arrived.

July 16, 2009	#5
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	They claim that if the blight hits, it can kill a plant in three days

July 17, 2009	#6
Frog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kent, UK Posts: 141	I lost my entire tomato crop to late blight in 2007, every plant died within 4 days. The progress of the disease was vey evident over each 12 hour period. It was ferocious, the fruit were reduced to balls of black with white fluff by day seven. It broke my heart.