![]() 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.
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