By Clint Thompson
Consistent rains in May and early June have Alabama vegetable growers concerned about disease development in this year’s crops.
Ed Sikora, professor and Extension plant pathologist in the department of entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University, noted in an Alabama Extension blog that certain diseases like early blight on tomatoes, bacterial spot on tomatoes and peppers and anthracnose on cucumbers are potential for development amid the favorable weather conditions.
“A lot of them are on raised beds, plastic mulch, and excess rain just doesn’t help. They can’t get in to spray. Because of the rain they need to spray more often,” Sikora said.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Alabama has sufficient moisture with zero dry conditions observed. It’s been quite the change in the spring and early summer for a state that was used to dealing with drought-like conditions the last few summers.
“I want to say the last three years we’ve gone into a major drought in later July that lasted into early fall. It just shut disease pressure down for the most part,” Sikora said. “(However) this has been the wettest spring I can remember in a while. There’s always a chance of a thunderstorm every day; like you often have in the South. But some of these seem to be more intense.
“I believe one of the regional agents just north of Birmingham had said it was the wettest May in that area in the last 100 years for his region.”
Disease management varies by crop and disease. Vegetable growers should contact their county Extension office for information on management of these plant diseases.