Blueaussi
New Member
I saw this article on the WLTX web site this morning. I had read that there was a bad late blight outbreak in the northeast, and that it was associated with Bonnie Bell plants. I hadn't heard it might be in the southeast, too.
A Tomato Killer May Be Lurking In Your Garden
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=75691&catid=2
Columbia (WLTX) - In the Midlands, some tomato growers are bracing for what could be a rough season. That's because an infectious plant disease may put a squeeze on their profits.
A killer could be lurking in your garden and you may not even know it. It's called "late blight". A destructive and infectious disease targeting tomato plants.
"It's kind of become prevalent in the northeast. I guess they've had a lot of wet weather,"says Andy Cabe, Botanical Gardens Director for Riverbanks Zoo.
Cabe says rainy weather has accelerated the spores' airborne spread causing plant-to-plant infections.
"The real problem is with the plant,"says Cabe. Signs of the disease include pale green, water-soaked spots on the edges of leaves, or what looks like mold.
"It will have a whitish color to it,"says Cabe. No matter how you slice it, experts say it's the most widespread case of "late blight" on the east coast ever.
But what about consuming tomatoes from infected plants? "Ingesting it, you're not going to have any problems. What they (consumers) need to be concerned about it if they're buying tomato plants or looking at their plants in the garden,"says Cabe.
The infection has put the squeeze on Walmart and Lowe's. Both retailers have pulled the "in-season" plants from stores across the northeast.
Meanwhile Cabe says gardeners who find infected plants should carefully dispose of them to prevent spores from spreading. "Go ahead and seal it in a plastic bag, tie up a plastic bag a couple of times,"says Cabe.
Experts say it's too early to tell whether large crops will be infected. But if it happens, they say be prepared to pay more for tomatoes as growers try to, catch up on shrinking profits.
A Tomato Killer May Be Lurking In Your Garden
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=75691&catid=2
Columbia (WLTX) - In the Midlands, some tomato growers are bracing for what could be a rough season. That's because an infectious plant disease may put a squeeze on their profits.
A killer could be lurking in your garden and you may not even know it. It's called "late blight". A destructive and infectious disease targeting tomato plants.
"It's kind of become prevalent in the northeast. I guess they've had a lot of wet weather,"says Andy Cabe, Botanical Gardens Director for Riverbanks Zoo.
Cabe says rainy weather has accelerated the spores' airborne spread causing plant-to-plant infections.
"The real problem is with the plant,"says Cabe. Signs of the disease include pale green, water-soaked spots on the edges of leaves, or what looks like mold.
"It will have a whitish color to it,"says Cabe. No matter how you slice it, experts say it's the most widespread case of "late blight" on the east coast ever.
But what about consuming tomatoes from infected plants? "Ingesting it, you're not going to have any problems. What they (consumers) need to be concerned about it if they're buying tomato plants or looking at their plants in the garden,"says Cabe.
The infection has put the squeeze on Walmart and Lowe's. Both retailers have pulled the "in-season" plants from stores across the northeast.
Meanwhile Cabe says gardeners who find infected plants should carefully dispose of them to prevent spores from spreading. "Go ahead and seal it in a plastic bag, tie up a plastic bag a couple of times,"says Cabe.
Experts say it's too early to tell whether large crops will be infected. But if it happens, they say be prepared to pay more for tomatoes as growers try to, catch up on shrinking profits.
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