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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Prevention techniques for Late Blight

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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Prevention techniques for Late Blight
  • Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:29:36 -0400

By not destroying infected plants, aren't you increasing the inoculum in the general area, thereby increasing the chances that other people's crops are going to get it?

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



On Jun 30, 2009, at 12:15 PM, Bill Shoemaker wrote:

Also, should a plant develop late blight, and it is caught early,
can the leaf be clipped off and the plant saved, or is it too risky ?

There is no real liability in letting the plant survive while working with it. If you're worried about other plants, they may be more tolerant of it genetically. Plus, weather conditions which favor the disease may change and put a halt to disease development. Removing infected tissue is fine. Tomatoes can generate new tissue quickly. But the organism which causes the disease is ubiquitous. You cannot "sanitize" your way to a disease-free property. You can only institute management techniques to minimize risk. And use fungicides if acceptable.

Bill
William H Shoemaker, UI-NRES
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610
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