As long as the relative humidity is over 31%, early blight can start affecting your plants. Sometimes it’s very hot and very humid, but other times it’s just moderately hot with a little bit of humidity. In most summer seasons, a patch of hot, humid weather rolls in. Young tomato plants are less hardy, and are using their energy to grow big and strong. This is especially true early in the growing season. When the weather is 80F or above, humid, rainy, and damp, early blight comes out to play. But early blight thrives in hot, humid temperatures. The Right Environment for Early Blightīoth blights affect tomatoes in humid weather. If you’ve planted the nightshade vegetables in close proximity, early blight can spread quickly from plant to plant. That means your potatoes, peppers, and eggplants are at risk. solani can affect other members of the nightshade family as well as tomatoes. In fact, it’s rare to have a tomato season go by without seeing a few signs of early blight.īoth A. It’s one of the most common tomato diseases. Expert advice on the most appropriate pesticide to use should always be sought from local agricultural authorities.Tomato early blight is caused by the fungus can be caused by two, very similar fungi: Alternaria tomaphilia and A. Recommendations will vary with the crop and system of cultivation. When using a pesticide, always wear protective clothing and follow the instructions on the product label, such as dosage, timing of application, and pre-harvest interval. Systemic products are available, e.g., strobilurins, although they are expensive and, if used too often, the fungus may develop resistance to them. Use protectant fungicides, mancozeb, chlorothalonil or copper products. Avoid planting overlapping crops of tomato, especially if outbreaks of early blight occur.Ĭomplete resistance does not exist, but there are varieties which show differences in tolerance to the disease.Do not plant one crop of tomato after another in the same land use a rotation of 2-3 years, avoiding crops that belong to the tomato family.Collect plant remains and burn them, or dig them deeply into the soil.Make sure that the plants are healthy by applying fertilizer at recommended rates healthy plants are less susceptible to this disease.Control weeds, as these may be sources of the fungus, especially those in the tomato/potato family.Preferably, water only at the base of the plant avoid overhead irrigation or, if used, apply early in the day, to make sure the plants are dry before nightfall.Prune any diseased leaves from the bottom of the plants as they become infected.Remove a few branches from the lower part of the plants to allow better airflow at the base.Space plants (60-90 cm) so that air circulates around them this helps to dry the leaves rapidly after overhead irrigation or rain.Select fields with good drainage, and where surrounding trees do not prevent airflow, so that leaves dry as rapidly as possible after rain or overhead irrigation. If symptoms are seen, discard the plant, and spray with fungicide.
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