Southern blight thrives when hot weather arrives

Southern blight, a plant disease that commonly shows up in warm-weather locales, has long been a problem in Kern County potatoes, but in recent years the disease has been a more frequent complication for farmers, reported David Eddy in Growing Produce. UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Joe Nunez told the reporter that the seeming increase in Southern blight severity may stem from the conversion of cotton acreage to vegetables, such as tomatoes.

“Cotton is such a woody, hardy plant it doesn’t get injured,” says Nunez. “Tomatoes get it bad.”