home remedy for early blight on tomatoes

However, it is possible to tell them apart. And both of these infections start on the lower leaves. Read more about identifying late blight here.Įarly blight and Septoria are often confused, since each of these infections causes the leaves to yellow and die. Late blight is such a menace that you are advised to inform your county extension agent if you find it in your garden. Late blight.Īlternaria and Septoria can devastate your crop at home, while late blight is an extremely serious infection that can decimate whole tomato fields. This organism is what caused the Irish potato famine, forever altering Irish and American history. However, it is now known as a water mold (or oomycete, to be technical). The third – late blight ( Phytophthora infestans) – was considered a fungus for 200 years. Two are caused by fungi – early blight ( Alternaria solani) and Septoria blight, aka Septoria leaf spot ( Septoria lycopersici). However, they all have their quirks that allow you to distinguish between them. Spots on the leaves are the first indication of each of these infections. The most common fungicides that are used for control of early blight include Mancozeb, Maneb, Chlorothalonil, difenoconazole and copper oxychloride.There are three types of blight that affect tomato plants. Preventative spray – if weather conditions favor early blight, a preventative spray program is recommended, starting after transplant at 7 to 10-day interval.Ĭontrol spray program – a variety of fungicides are effective for control of early blight. (Jimsonweed), Solanum carolinense (horse nettle) and Solanum ptycanthum (black nightshade). Remove solanaceous weeds that might be alternative hosts for Alternaria.Destroy diseased plants immediately after harvest.Digital tools, that are available today, can help in predicting the conditions to the disease development and in identifying early blight correctly.Therefore, knowing the initial symptoms and preforming regular scouting of the plants is essential. Early detection of early blight is important to reduce the severity of the disease and allows to take additional measures before the disease spreads.Select resistant varieties that are less susceptible to early blight.Use drip irrigation instead of overhead irrigation helps in keeping the foliage dry.Since early blight is a soilborne disease, crop rotation can help in reducing the pathogen level. Use 3-4 years crop rotation with non-solanaceous crops.Infected fruits show dark lesions with concentric rings. Symptoms appear on the fruit, near the stem. On seedlings, symptoms appear just above the soil line.įruit – Symptoms may appear on ripen or immature fruit. Stem – Symptoms on stems appear as brown lesions with dark concentric rings. Defoliation might result in 30-50% yield loss. Heavy defoliation of lower leaves may occur.

Symptoms spread throughout the plant and affect upper leaves, stem and fruit. Concentric, target-like circles develop inside the spots and they become surrounded by a yellow halo. At first spots are small, but as the disease progresses, they enlarge and reach a size of 1.5cm. Leaves – first symptoms appear on lower leaves as brown irregular or round spots. The disease more severe when tomato plants are stressed by lack of water, nutrients or pests. It spreads with water splashes from soil, running water, wind, tools and machinery. The pathogen, Alternaria fungi, can overwinter in soil and in plant debris. Conidia (spores of the fungus) germinate in the presence of a film of water over tomato leaves. It may occur at any time during the growth cycle of the tomato crop. The disease favors warm temperatures of 24-29 C and high humidity. It is caused by the fungi Alternaria solani or Alternaria tomatophila. Early blight is a common tomato disease, which can result in significant economic losses.

Home remedy for early blight on tomatoes