Alert Date: 5/23/12
Pest: Late Blight on potato
Location: Burlington County, NJ
Field Notes: Late blight was confirmed on actively sporulating leaf lesions from an 8 acre potato field in Cookstown, NJ (Burlington County). The few infected plants were found at the end of a row were the boom sprayer was most likely turned off. The grower had preventative applications of manzate followed by chlorothalonil prior. Seed pieces were sourced from Maine. This is the first report of Late blight in NJ on potato or tomato this year.
Crop(s) at risk: All potato (and tomato crops)
Potential Impact: Significant losses may occur if not controlled properly.
Grower Action Plan: Control of late blight begins with regular scouting, recognizing symptoms and preventative fungicide applications. All potato and tomato growers should scout fields and begin a regular preventative fungicide program if one has not been started. Adding a late blight specific fungicide to the tank mix should also be considered. Weather this past week has been ideal for late blight development in many areas of NJ (i.e., cool, wet, misty weather with heavy morning fogs).
Resources:
Symptoms of Late Blight Mildew-
Commercial fungicide recommendations – Potato; Tomato
Please report suspected Late Blight on your farm to Andy Wyenandt
