[tomato] Tomato Blight reply
Pete (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Mon, 13 Dec 1999 13:24:48 -0500
Here is a reply from one of the "experts" in the field. I thought his
comments on COMMERCIAL CERTIFIED SEEDS VS SAVED SEEDS was "interesting" if
not inflammatory. I list it below for the lists comments
>>Disease organisms are present every year. This season (to my
knowledge) was no worse than previous seasons. Southern blight
and early blight are common on tomatoes and causes leaves to
wrinkle but then so does 2,4-D, a herbicide. The point is without a
specimen to send to the lab it would be difficult to diagnose exactly
which disease (if any) caused your problem.
One of the most common causes of blossom drop on tomatoes is
lack of sunlight. Also, were the seeds you started certified seed or
seeds that you saved from a previous crop? Often seeds saved
from previous seasons are inferior to commercially grown.
You can contact your local extension service office for help and
advice. They can identify disease problems and send plant
samples to the lab if necessary. From the results, they can make
recommendations on control measures (I can only recommend
pesticides in the state of Georgia). The extension service should be
listed in the phone book under county (or local) government.
Carl V.>>