Stake or cage plants to keep fruit and foliage away from soil, and promote quicker drying.Stressed plants (including drought or excessive moisture or shade) are more susceptible to early blight.

Provide optimum growing conditions and fertility.Once the plant residue decays, the pathogen is gone. Use crop rotations of at least three years to non-hosts (i.e., away from tomato, potato and eggplant).Vigorous tomato varieties, like many cherry tomatoes, can sometimes “outgrow” the disease. It is important to avoid early on-set of the disease because the longer you can avoid the problem the more likely it is that you will harvest red tomatoes before the plants die. However, by mid-summer, most of the infection is coming from spores blowing in the wind from the widespread infection in gardens and on farms across the region. Initial infection is from splashing up from this overwintering site. The pathogen overwinters on diseased plant residues in the soil. Though rare, potato tubers can also become infected. The tomato fruit may rot on the stem end. Leaves develop yellow blighted areas, eventually turn all yellow and die. The disease starts on the lower leaves with small, circular spots with concentric rings that resemble a target. Early blight starts as small, circular spots with concentric rings that resemble a target.Īll aboveground portions of the plant can be affected throughout the growing season. In most years, it is very common much more common than late blight, which is usually rare in Maine. Pest/disease identification and lifecycle, most common damage symptoms and crops affected:Įarly blight is a serious problem in tomatoes and potatoes, but rarely affects peppers and eggplants. This resource is offered as part of MOFGA’s Pest Reports Fact Sheet Seriesĭisease: Early blight on tomato (Alternaria)

Tomato early blight organic treatment