Late blight found on tomato seedlings for retail sale in two cities could be bad news if allowed to reach Manitoba’s potato crop, the province warns.
The fungal disease was found on tomato plants at retail sites in both the southwest, at Brandon, and in the southeast, in Winnipeg, the provincial ag department said in a release Monday.
The retailers involved have stopped selling the plants, the province said. Suppliers have also been notified to try and track the source of the infection, and “action has been taken to prevent further distribution of infected plants.”
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However, some infected tomato plants will likely have been bought and planted in backyard gardens, the province said. Under favourable conditions, the spores on infected plants can be carried to nearby fields, mostly on the wind, and infect other plants such as potatoes.
The blight does not create any human health issues, the province noted.
Almost 200 Manitoba farmers have an estimated 80,000 acres, mostly under irrigation, seeded to potatoes each year, with total crop value in recent years breaking the $200 million mark.
The spread of late blight could jeopardize the quality and market value of the 2010 potato crop, the province said.
Home gardeners will want to inspect both their tomatoes and potatoes “immediately,” the province said.
“If late blight is present, destruction by uprooting and bagging infected plants is the best option to prevent further spread to healthy plants.”
All above-ground parts of the tomato plant can be infected by the fungus, the province said, where blight turns up as lesions and grey-green areas on leaves. In high humidity, white mildew will appear on the undersides of leaves. In severe cases, complete and rapid blighting of foliage can occur.
Then, as tomato plants mature, blemishes appear on the fruit, making it unattractive to consumers.
