New Late Blight Tracking System

A new USDA-funded consortium will provide nationwide tracking of late blight infections of potato and tomato.  A web site currently under development will allow users to report where late blight has been found, and to sign up for automatic notifications by email or text message when late blight is found nearby. The grant also funds identification of pathogen strains, which may provide information on how aggressive a given isolate is likely to be on potato or tomato, and whether it is sensitive to the fungicide mefanoxam, the active ingredient in Ridomil.

Late blight has persisted in the Northeast since the devastating outbreak in 2009, and has already been identified this season from two locations, so we can expect it to be a problem again in 2011.  Be sure to scout greenhouse and high tunnel tomatoes and early potatoes for late blight. If you think you may have late blight please contact your local Extension Educator, who can submit a sample for identification and report the find on the web site. Knowing where late blight has been found is critical for making the best management decisions When an outbreak is reported, it will NOT pinpoint your farm, but will report that late blight has been found in your county.

More details will be provided over the coming weeks on our website, http://usablight.org