Late Blight Management in Home and Community Gardens: Benefits Transcend Community/Ag Boundaries

Abstract

Late blight is a serious plant disease that affects both gardeners and farmers. Because infected plants produce huge quantities of spores that spread the disease, accurate disease identification and appropriate response are important for everyone in the community growing tomatoes or potatoes. We engaged Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program coordinators to plan and present a series of five workshops for Master Gardener Volunteers across the state. We updated information on disease resistant tomatoes and potatoes on the Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners web site, created resources for Master Gardener Volunteers to use to engage and educate home gardeners about late blight, and have surveyed greenhouse growers on their information needs around growing late blight resistant tomato varieties for sale to gardeners. As a result, Master Gardener Volunteers increased their knowledge of plant disease identification and management, and their outreach activities to home gardeners on late blight management. We also have a list of needs for future outreach to greenhouse growers.