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Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: lincsyokel2 on July 08, 2010, 21:04:28

Title: Early leaf Blight got my spuds
Post by: lincsyokel2 on July 08, 2010, 21:04:28
 >:(

(http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/wivegdis/images/potatoeb.gif)

This is a stock picture, thats exactly what they've got.

The last frost in May got most of the top foilage, the ones that came back started ok then slowly they've all gone yellow and died off.

240 seed potatoes wasted. Im well miffed .
Title: Re: Early leaf Blight got my spuds
Post by: pigeonseed on July 08, 2010, 21:35:03
Oh dear. It seems like strange weather for blight, I thought it liked damp?

It couldn't be anything else could it like scorching? (just hoping for you)
Title: Re: Early leaf Blight got my spuds
Post by: lincsyokel2 on July 08, 2010, 21:41:50
Theres two sorts of blight though.

Theres Late Tuber Blight, which rots the potatoes, and is a fungal spore caused by Phytophthora infestans,

Early blight, caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, is a disease that is most severe on maturing or under-fertilized potato vines. The disease actually occurs late in the season, often first appearing in late July (bingo).

Symptoms usually develop first on the older leaflets of mature plants, spreading to the younger leaves under favorable weather conditions. This disease occurs over a wider range of climatic conditions than late blight.

Early blight may also more rarely infect tubers.The lesions appear on the surface of tubers as dark, sunken, irregularly shaped areas. The lesions are often surrounded by a raised violet border. The fungus will invade the tuber, causing shallow, dark, necrotic, hollowed out areas in the tuber that can be traced to surface lesions.
Title: Re: Early leaf Blight got my spuds
Post by: Unwashed on July 08, 2010, 21:52:00
That's a picture of late blight isn't it?  Look at the halos.

Ed: shows what I know.  "target spot or bulls eye appearance characteristic of early blight".
(http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/images/3101_2.jpg)