One of Helga George’s greatest childhood joys was reading about rare and greenhouse plants that would not grow in Delaware. Let us know how you fared in the comments. 5. This ubiquitous tomato disease does not usually kill the plants, but it can greatly reduce your yield. As lesions expand and ne… Try to avoid working with or around your plants in wet weather. This powerful blend may be used as a spray or dust to cure most plant problems. High humidity and temperatures above 75°F cause it to spread rapidly. The first is a modern version of the classic Bordeaux Mixture, Bonide® Copper Fungicide Dust, and it’s available from Arbico Organics. There are a few treatment options available. Crops can be severely damaged. High temperatures (80-85˚F.) The most common method for controlling early blight in potatoes is the use of chemical pesticides. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME Ocular infections. See our TOS for more details. Another option is the biofungicide Serenade® available on Amazon. Plants in the same family as tomatoes (solanaceous plants, or nightshades), and volunteer tomato plants can also serve as hosts for Alternaria species. How to Choose the Best Halloween Pumpkins to Grow in Your Garden, How to Choose the Best Backyard Playground Equipment for Your Home, follow the instructions here to disable notifications, Planning and Planting Your First Vegetable Garden, How to Attract Purple Martins to Your Garden, Ground and Wood Nesting Bees: Learn to Identify Common Backyard Species, The Best Tips for Cultivating Showy Garden Croton Indoors, Growing Kohlrabi: The Hearty, Above-Ground Root, 11 of the Best Varieties of Sweet Corn to Grow at Home, How to Grow and Care for Fruiting Cherry Trees, How to Identify, Prevent, and Treat Bacterial Leaf Spot on Turnip Crops. This applies to any crops in the nightshade family as well, such as eggplant, which can also be infected by the fungus. 1. She holds a BS in agriculture from Cornell University, and an MS from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 3. Others are more specific to the problem, like using biofungicides or chemical fungicides to treat the infection. It is almost impossible to distinguish the two species without a microscope. Fascinated by the childhood discovery that plants make chemicals to defend themselves, Helga embarked on further academic study and obtained two degrees, studying plant diseases as a plant pathology major. If you grow tomatoes, you have almost certainly run afoul of the fungus that causes the disease known as early blight. The information about the type of infection can determine crop treatment … In many cases, poorly nourished or stressed plants are attacked. Another species that affects potatoes and tends to infect later in the season is Alternaria alternata. We occasionally link to goods offered by vendors to help the reader find relevant products. Symptoms of early blight can occur on the foliage, fruit, and stem at any stage of development. As the disease matures, it spreads outward on the leaf surface causing it to turn yellow, wither and die. Sorry to hear that, Beverly! Phytoparasitica, 31(4), 353-364. Where this is not practical, plow residue into the soil to promote breakdown by soil microorganisms and to physically remove the spore source from the soil surface. Alternaria is a large genus that belongs to phylum Ascomycota (Sac fungi). Alternaria solani is a kind of fungal pathogen that can cause early blight disease of tomato, potato, tobacco, and many other vegetables and crops, and lead to huge losses in … And for more information about growing tomatoes in your garden, you’ll need the following guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. Use only clean seed saved from disease-free plants. Eventually the stem, fruit and upper portion of the plant will become infected. 4. The original Bordeaux mixture contained copper sulfate and lime and could sometimes be toxic to plants. The disease favors warm temperatures of 24 … How to Treat Alternaria. From: As they grow larger, they form concentric rings that resemble a bull’s-eye, and the rest of the leaf gradually turns yellow. Practice crop rotation to non-susceptible crops (3 years). If you see “EB” listed on tomato seed packets or in catalogs, that stands for “resistant to early blight.” Keep an eye out for this helpful notation when you are searching for resistant varieties. The first sign that your plants are infected with early blight is usually the appearance of dark brown spots on the lower leaves. What’s the Difference Between Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes? Alternaria solani, the cause of early blight, is commonly referred to as the most dangerous tomato pathogen . Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when you use chemical treatments. 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