Wet Weather Halts Planting, May Increase Potential For Late Blight

One of American Vegetable Grower’s Top 100 Grower operations in the North, Torrey Farms in Elba, NY, may not plant all of its crops, thanks to constant rainfall in the state. According to an article in the Daily News Online, Mark Torrey of Torrey Farms said that many crops will not get into the ground and the ones that do may produce a smaller yield.

The farm’s onion crop in particular, was supposed to be 1,000 acres this year. Torrey said he hopes to produce 500 acres. For the full story, click here.

Late Blight Alert
Margaret McGrath, a plant disease expert and associate professor of plant pathology at Cornell University, comments on the impact of the very wet spring on the potential for an outbreak of late blight.

“All the recent rain has many who grow tomatoes thinking about late blight and wondering if there might be a repeat of 2009,” she said. “Concern is a good thing. It reflects knowledge gained from experience with one of the most destructive plant diseases, unknown to many in 2009. Awareness of the need to routinely inspect plants for symptoms and respond when late blight occurs, by reporting as well as managing or destroying the affected plants, greatly reduces potential for another disaster.”

She added that a few resistant tomato varieties have been developed and are beginning to be commercially available.

For more information, go to http://usablight.org.

Source: Cornell Press Office