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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-05-28, Page 17Spring plantings THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 28,1997 PAGE 17. Late blight strikes pototoes Tiffany Roetcisoender, left, and Lindsay Watson of the Brussels Sparks proudly show off a few of the plants they had for sale, May 20, at the Brussels Library. Lawn bowling begins Clinton Lawn Bowling Club had its opening day on May 20 with a pot luck dinner. Several greens played in the afternoon. Games were played again on May 22 and 23. Several greens played and several new bowlers gave it a try. It is hoped that they'll enjoy it and join. The District 4 Bankers Tourna­ ment was held at Clinton on Saturday, May 24 with seven greens playing. Winners were: first, Lee Ryan, Seaforth; second, Fred Tilley, Seaforth; third, John Muir, Seaforth; fourth. Jack McDonald, Lucknow; fifth, Elmer Murray, Clinton; sixth, Hazel Adams, Tops enjoy memories Continued from page 16 perfectly round black one, larger than a golf ball, a bit smaller than a tennis ball. Ernie named it "volley ball". Little Keith rolled it across the floor and it went very smoothly. All the stones were certainly enjoyed and brought back memories of others picked up on various farms. Tina Empey then showed pictures by slide projector of the numerous logs and the building of her home and of her friends. Then she look everyone on a trip West - showing mines, industries, tourist camps, etc. Then they saw Canada's magnificent Rockies and beautiful lakes. To some it brought back memories and then again they all saw new territories. A social half hour followed, then the Silver Tops left for home. ' CLASSIFIEDS Stratford; seventh, Henry Dachenberg, Exeter. Consolation was Jean Shillington's, Clinton. There were ladies' and mixed teams. The greens are in excellent shape so that means super bowling. CUSTOM SPRAYING MILTON J. DIETZ LTD WE ARE EQUIPPED TO GET THE JOB DONE. Aerial and 3 high clearance ground machines, one equipped with Kyndestoft air assist for windy condi­ tions or dense foliage. CALL 522-0608 TODAY! Eugenia Banks, Potato Pest Management Specialist Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Potatoes are one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. They are easy to grow, there are many different varieties to choose from and there is nothing more rewarding than having a barbecue in July with your recently harvested new potatoes. However, during the last three years a devastating fungal disease called late blight has been threatening the potato crop in Ontario. About 150 years ago late blight destroyed the potato crop in Ireland causing the famine which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people and the emigration of more than one and a half million people to the United States. Although there are now some materials which growers can apply to the crop to reduce the incidence of late blight, this disease still remains a serious threat. The casual fungus Phytophthora infestans is extremely aggressive especially under cool, wet weather. The fungus attacks the tubers and all above ground parts of the potato plants. Lesions on the stems are dark brown to black irregular spots and on the leaves brown spots surrounded by a yellowish-green halo. The lesions expand rapidly with wet, humid weather and a white downy mold appears at the margin of the affected areas on the lower surface of the leaves and on stem lesions. It is estimated that the fungus produces approximately 700,000 spores on each lesion. The spores are dispersed by wind to neighbouring plants or to the other home gardens or commercial potato fields. If the spores land on wet stems or leaves they germinate and infect. To reduce the risk of having late blight in your home garden, before planting seed potato tubers make sure that those tubers are healthy. Infected tubers show purplish- brown spots on the skin and immediately underneath the affected skin a reddish brown dry rot can be seen. Late blight causes a dry rot, but affected tissue is susceptible to bacterial infections which cause a foul smelling soft rot. If you find a suspicious looking tuber, put it immediately in a plastic bag, tie it very well and throw it in the garbage. The tuber will rot there. When the tubers are completely rotten, the tuber is dead and so is the fungus. During the season keep a close eye on your tomato and potato plants. If you see suspicious lesions on leaves that look like blight but they do not have the downy white mold at the margins, get a sample and place it in a polyethylene bag containing a moist paper towel (to supply moisture) and held for one day to promote the appearance of the white fungus. If you detect any blighted plant in your garden, pull that plant immediately place it in plastic bag, let it rot and then put it in the garbage. Chances are that healthy looking plants surrounding the diseased one are already infected but they are not showing the symptoms yet. After the spores have germinated and penetrated the plants, it takes 4 to 6 days for symptoms to become visible. A factsheet on potato and tomato late blight is available for home gardeners at our OMAFRA office. If you wish to receive this factsheet phone us at 1-800-387-7359 with your name and address and we will mail it to you. Good luck with your garden and I am sure that Ontario potato growers will appreciate your efforts to reduce the risk of a blight epidemic. Food Steps If you have ever thought of changing your eating habits or even if you have not, the Huron County Health Unit has developed a nutri­ tion guide suited to every stage of healthy living. Food Steps is an exciting, new program, developed by dieticians and health professionals, to help people think about the way they eat, whether looking for a change or just seeking information. The first guide book is for those who don't want to change. It simply provides information on healthy eating. From there, participants in First Steps can begin thinking about changing and ways to accom­ plish the goal. The most advanced booklet is for those who have already made the lifestyle change. The program is offered through the mail with no meetings to attend, no preaching, no gimmicks and no cost. Information may be obtain from the Huron County Health Unit al 482-3416, 1-800-265-5184, ext. 710.