Sept. 4, 2014, Stettler, Alta. — Late blight has been confirmed in parts of Alberta.
Sept. 4, 2014, Stettler, Alta. — Late blight has been confirmed in parts of Alberta.
Robert Spencer, commercial horticulture specialist, Ag-Info Centre in Stettler, says it’s recommended that all growers of potato or tomato (commercial or home garden) take specific steps to prevent the carry over of disease into future years.
He says growers should ensure plants die down quickly by using top-killing treatments such as chemical desiccant (diquat) or mechanical treatments.
Spencer says at the end of the growing season, gardeners should dispose of all above-ground plant materials (stems and foliage), whether infected or not, either by burial, freezing or composting.
He says that’s to ensure living tissues do not survive the winter and will break down completely, thus preventing carry over of the late blight pathogen.
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