How do I save a plant with early blight? Once symptoms of early blight appear, control is difficult. Denser foliage leads to high humidity and longer periods of leaf wetness that favor the disease. Early blight symptoms typically begin as plant canopies start to close. Where does early blight come from? Early blight is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, which survives in plant debris or on infected plants. Early blight can lead to total defoliation of lower leaves and even the death of an infected plant. Eventually multiple spots on a single leaf will merge, leading to extensive destruction of leaf tissue. As these spots enlarge, concentric rings appear giving the areas a target-like appearance. What does early blight look like? Symptoms of early blight first appear at the base of affected plants, where roughly circular brown spots appear on leaves and stems. The second common tomato blight, Septoria leaf spot, is detailed in University of Wisconsin Garden Facts XHT1073.

Early blight can also be a serious disease on other popular vegetables including eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. What is early blight? Early blight is one of two common fungal diseases that can devastate tomatoes in both commercial settings and home gardens. Note spots with concentric rings (arrow) and yellow haloes.īrian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant Pathology

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