More bad tomato news - Page 4

 

On Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:30:18 -0600, dr-solo@wi.rr.com wrote:


on the

infection

You have some interesting information, but there are circumstances in
which wilt DOES come early and its attack is swift and devastating. We
were hit with it in the NE last season.

You can read up on it here, or do some more searching of your own.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09barber.html

The article  says, in part:

The latest trouble is the explosion of late blight, a plant disease
that attacks potatoes and tomatoes. Late blight appears innocent
enough at first — a few brown spots here, some lesions there — but it
spreads fast. Although the fungus isn’t harmful to humans, it has
devastating effects on tomatoes and potatoes grown outdoors. Plants
that appear relatively healthy one day, with abundant fruit and
vibrant stems, can turn toxic within a few days. (See the Irish potato
famine, caused by a strain of the fungus.)

Most farmers in the Northeast, accustomed to variable conditions, have
come to expect it in some form or another. Like a sunburn or a
mosquito bite, you’ll probably be hit by late blight sooner or later,
and while there are steps farmers can take to minimize its damage and
even avoid it completely, the disease is almost always present, if not
active.

But this year is turning out to be different — quite different,
according to farmers and plant scientists. For one thing, the disease
appeared much earlier than usual. Late blight usually comes, well,
late in the growing season, as fungal spores spread from plant to
plant. So its early arrival caught just about everyone off guard.

And then there’s the perniciousness of the 2009 blight. The pace of
the disease (it covered the Northeast in just a few days) and its
strength (topical copper sprays, a convenient organic preventive, have
been much less effective than in past years) have shocked even
hardened Hudson Valley farmers.

 

On Jul 9, 6:30 am, dr-s...@wi.rr.com wrote:

THANKS THANKS THANKS Ingrid for a really helpful post.  I will save
the
list of vermiculum-tolerate tomatoes for next year -- if we all make
it! <g>

Hypatia

 




    That particular strain may be proprietary but surely there are
independant sources of information about the Bacillus. Particularly
important are collateral damage (that is, the danger it represents to
non-target species) and residual activity. For example, does it kill off
its host and then die or does it go into some survival mode where it can
continue to do whatever collateral damage it does (if any)?

    I think the nursery guy is goofy. LOL ...but that's just me, maybe.
I'm  with the landscape friend. If it were mine, I'd spend some time
trying to identify the cause of the "wilt" and grow other garden
vegetables that are, at the least, resistant to commonplace diseases and
infections. Unfortunately, if the cool and damp conditions that you
mention continue, systemic mildews can plague legumes which, otherwise,
would be a perfect test crop that (properly done) result in a net
"benefit" to the soil; be sure to use inoculated seeds.
--
the Balvenieman
Breakfasting on single malt in
USDA zone 9b, peninsular Florida, U.S.A.

 

It is a commonly found bacteria in the wild.  It is organic like Bt is, only more
specific in that it has been selected and "amped up" to target pests.  Since it
is a
spore former it can go dormant when it doesnt have correct growing conditions.

On Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:42:22 -0500, balvenieman@invalid.net wrote:

---------------------------------------
# Description of the Active Ingredient
Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 is a widespread bacterium found in soil, water,
and
air. Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 controls the growth of certain harmful
bacteria
and fungi, presumably by competing for nutrients, growth sites on plants, and by
directly colonizing and attaching to fungal pathogens.\

# Use Sites, Target Pests, and Application Methods
    * Use Sites: B. subtilis strain QST 713 is approved for use on a wide
variety of
food crops, including cherries, cucurbits, grapes, leafy vegetables, peppers,
potatoes, tomatoes, and walnuts.


    * Target Pests: Fungi and bacteria that cause scab, powdery mildew, sour rot,
downy mildew, and early leaf spot, early blight, late blight, bacterial spot, and
walnut blight diseases.


    * Application Methods: B. subtilis strain QST 713 is sold as a powder that is
mixed with water and sprayed on foliage using ground equipment. The number and
timing
of applications vary with crop and level of infestation.

# Assessing Risks to Human Health
No harmful health effects to humans are expected from use of B. subtilis strain
QST
713. Appropriate tests found no evidence that the bacterium is infectious or
significantly toxic to humans. However, contact with B. subtilis strain QST 713
products may cause redness or irritation to the skin. To minimize the risk of
adverse
reactions in applicators and handlers, EPA is requiring these workers to use
appropriate personal protective equipment.

# Assessing Risks to the Environment
Available studies show that no adverse effects are expected to non-target
organisms,
with the possible exception of honey bees, when products containing B. subtilis
strain QST 713 are used in accordance with label instructions. However, because
of
some difficulties associated with interpreting the results of these studies, EPA
is
requiring additional tests to confirm that use of pesticide products with B.
subtilis
strain QST 713 will not infect or otherwise harm honey bees, wasps, shrimp and
other
aquatic invertebrates. Meanwhile, to minimize the risk to honey bees,
applicators are
not allowed to spray areas where bees are actively foraging. After the results
of the
additional studies become available, EPA will decide whether this use
restriction can
be lifted.
http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_006479.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan
on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago