Farmers and backyard gardeners are encouraged to watch for two diseases that can destroy tomato, potato and cucumber crops.

Late blight and downy mildew have both been confirmed in Ohio, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster Township reported Thursday.

Late blight affects tomatoes and potatoes and is the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine. The strain of downy mildew that has been found in Ohio destroys cucumber plants and also affects cantaloupes, but not fatally.

Downy mildew was found June 23 on cucumbers in Wayne and Holmes counties. Late blight was confirmed about the same time on tomatoes in Harrison County.

Both diseases are spread by spores that are carried by wind and thrive in wet conditions. Recent storms have provided ideal conditions for their transmission, said Sally Miller, a vegetable pathologist with OARDC and the Ohio State University Extension. [Read more...]