Plant Disease and Pest Alerts

Late Blight of Tomatoes and PotatoesLate Blight is a devastating fungal disease that can quickly kill tomato and potato plants. The disease is not uncommon towards the end of the growing season, but in late June 2009 the disease was confirmed in Connecticut. Tomato and potato growers should check their plants closely for signs of infection. How do you know whether your tomato and potato plants are infected? Visit the UConn Home & Garden Education Center website  for further information. View the Cornell website and photo gallery. Photo at right: Cornell University website.

Mile-a-Minute VineMile-a-Minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata), sometimes referred to as "the Kudzu of the North", was originally found in Greenwich and has since spread to 15 towns and cities in Connecticut. (Photo: Todd Mervosh, CT Agricultural Experiment Station)The public is asked to report any sightings of this highly invasive plant. Mile-a-minute vine outcompetes and overgrows plants. Under ideal conditions, a single plant can grow up to 6 inches in a day! Visit www.hort.uconn.edu/mam for identification tips, photographs, and control information.

Asian Longhorned BeetleThe invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) poses a serious threat to our New England trees. The insect has already caused extensive damage to trees in New York, Illinois and New Jersey, and has recently been reported in Worcester, Mass. To learn more, click on this link to the UConn Home & Garden Education Center Fact Sheet. Further information on the Massachusetts outbreak. The January 2009 edition of NPDN First Detector Network News gives the latest update on this threat. Photo: Donald Duerr - USDA, Forest Service