Late blight has been found on tomato plants from several garden centers around the state
 

Growers should assume that late blight inoculum is present in the area. ALL home gardeners and potato producers should be actively checking tomatoes and potatoes for late blight.

Late blight is a plant disease that infects potatoes and tomatoes. It is most destructive during cool, moist weather. Late blight---which was responsible for the Irish potato famine of the 1850s---can rapidly destroy an entire crop, because of its ability to produce a large number of spores that can travel long distances.  

A listing of all approved fungicides (including organic pesticides) for late blight is located in the 2009 Pest Management Guide at http://www.umaine.edu/umext/potatoprogram/.  These materials must be sprayed on the plants to protect them from infection.  Fast growing plants may double their leaf area in a week so it is important to follow the spray schedule that is recommended for your area. 

Updates on late blight in Maine are available via our hotline at 888-873-8623.  If you have plant samples that you would like to have diagnosed, please bring the samples to the Pest Management office in Orono or the Piscataquis County Cooperative Extension office.

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