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Tomatoes are plants from the nightshade family. The homeland of tomatoes is South America. The Indians grew this vegetable back in the 5th century BC. In Russia, the history of tomato cultivation is much shorter. At the end of the 18th century, the first tomatoes grew on the windowsills of some townspeople's houses. But their role was rather decorative. Few people know, but at the time when the first tomatoes were brought from Europe to the imperial table, they were a fairly common crop in the southern regions of Russia. The first Russian variety of tomatoes was bred by residents of Pecherskaya Sloboda near the city of Nizhny Novgorod at the beginning of the 20th century; it was called Pechersky and was famous for its taste and large fruits.
Some 50 years ago, when the tomato variety was much less, tomatoes grew well in open ground even in central Russia, since there was simply no greenhouse film then. Didn't rage and late blight, which affects modern tomatoes both in greenhouses and in open ground. It cannot be said that this dangerous disease did not exist then.
The history of the struggle between nightshade crops and the fungus phytophthora infestans is long and has tragic moments. This fungal infection was first noticed on potatoes in the thirties of the 19th century, and at first no attention was paid to it.And in vain - literally fifteen years later it took on the character of an epiphytoty and in just four years reduced the population of Ireland by a quarter. Potatoes, which were completely destroyed by late blight, were the main food product in this country.
Stages of change in the causative agent of late blight
The main target of this dangerous disease has long been potatoes. And the causative agent of the disease was represented by simple races, most dangerous specifically for potatoes. But, starting from the late 60s of the last century, the genotype of the causative agent of late blight began to change, more aggressive races appeared that easily overcame the protective reaction of not only potatoes, but also tomatoes. They have become dangerous for all nightshade species.
Breeders all over the world are trying to develop varieties of tomatoes and potatoes that are resistant to this disease, but its pathogen is also constantly changing, so the war between nightshades and late blight continues and the advantage is still on the side of late blight. In 1985, a new genetic form of the fungus appeared, capable of forming oospores that overwinter well in the ground. Now the source of infection lies not only in tomato seeds or potato planting material, but also in the soil itself. All this forces gardeners to take comprehensive measures to protect their tomato crops from this dangerous infection.
How to disinfect a greenhouse from late blight
- Remove all plant debris from the greenhouse. Tomato tops must be burned; if you throw them into a compost heap, you can spread a dangerous disease throughout the garden with the compost.
- Remove all the ropes and pegs to which the tomatoes were tied; if they are heavily infected, it is also better to burn them.
- Even weedsthat remain in the greenhouse after the end of the season can become a breeding ground for disease, so they need to be removed and burned. All tools used when working in a greenhouse with tomatoes must be disinfected, for example, with copper sulfate.
- Thoroughly wash the entire frame of the greenhouse with detergents and then disinfect it. A solution is suitable for disinfection copper sulfate in a proportion of 75 grams per ten-liter bucket of water or bleach solution. It is prepared from 400 grams of lime per ten-liter bucket of water. The solution must be infused for at least four hours. This treatment is most suitable for greenhouses with a wooden frame. When the treatment is completed, the greenhouse must be closed for two days.
After treating the frame, it is necessary to disinfect the soil in the greenhouse. Every three years, the top layer of soil in the greenhouse in which tomatoes are grown must be renewed. The soil is taken from beds in which plants from the nightshade family, namely tomatoes, have not previously grown. If late blight has raged in the greenhouse during the season, the top layer of soil must be replaced. New soil should be treated. A phytosporin solution is best suited for this.
How to properly treat a greenhouse from late blight, you can watch in the following video:
Of course, this will kill pathogenic microorganisms, but it won’t harm the beneficial ones either.And without them, the soil loses its fertility, the biological balance is disrupted, and next year pathogenic bacteria and fungi will develop even more actively.
During the gardening season, care must be taken to protect tomatoes. To do this, you should increase their immunity with the help of immunostimulants, feed the tomatoes correctly and on time, maintain a water regime, and protect the tomatoes from sudden temperature fluctuations and night fogs.
They will help protect tomatoes from late blight and preventive treatments with protective agents. Before flowering, you can spray with contact fungicides of a chemical nature, for example, Khom. When the first cluster of tomatoes blooms, it is not advisable to use chemical protection products. Now microbiological preparations and folk remedies can become good helpers. One of them is furatsilin against late blight on tomatoes.
Furacilin is a well-known antibacterial drug that is often used in traditional medicine to combat pathogenic bacteria. It is also used in the treatment of fungal infections in humans. As it turned out, it is also effective in combating the causative agent of late blight on tomatoes, since it is also a representative of fungal microflora.
The use of furatsilin to combat late blight
The treatment solution is prepared very simply. 10 tablets of this drug are crushed into powder and dissolved in a small amount of hot water. Bring the volume of the solution to ten liters by adding clean water. It must be remembered that the water should not be chlorinated or hard.
Due to its bactericidal properties, it is well stored, but only in a dark and cool place.
During the growing season, three treatments of tomatoes will be needed: before flowering, when the first ovaries appear and at the end of the season to protect the last green tomatoes. There are many positive reviews about this method of protecting tomatoes from late blight.
With proper protection, even in an unfavorable year, you can protect tomatoes from such a dangerous disease as late blight.
