MONROE - Toni Broge didn't know what to make of the discoloration on her tomato plants while picking them Aug. 23.
By the next day, many of them had wilted or died.
The following day she took a sample of the dead plants to the UW-Extension office in Monroe to discover her plants had the same disease that threatens potato and tomato crops across the state - late blight.
"The stalks on my plants started to whither and the plants started to turn a funny color," Broge said. "I knew something was wrong."
Broge, who planted the five-feet high plants in May, watched as almost overnight her entire tomato crop of 12 plants died.
"I had tears over it," she said.
On July 29, the University of Wisconsin Disease and Diagnostic Clinic confirmed the disease had made its way into the state.
The plant pathogen, which is not known to be harmful to humans, has spread to all areas of Green County, according to Kristi Leonard, activity assistant for Green County UW-Extension.
The disease has surfaced in the county in the past, she said.
"It has, but it's been several years, and not perhaps to this extent," Leonard said.
Late blight begins to be noticeable in plants when the plant develops a yellow color, then as the condition worsens spots form on the leaves and the plant begins to wilt.
Each lesion on a leaf or piece of fruit can produce up to 300,000 spores in a day, according to a UW-Extension statement. The disease has the potential to defoliate entire fields in three weeks after first contact with the spores, if conditions are correct, the statement said.
The University of Wisconsin determined the disease was not caused by a plant brought in from a different state, but rather the pathogen is being carried by the wind.
Cool, rainy weather and high winds have caused the plant disease to explode, Leonard said.
Plants infected with late blight should be plowed and buried, or the plants should be placed in black plastic bags and left in the sun, she said. The high temperature inside the bag should kill the fungal-like organism.
It is possible to eat fruit or parts of fruit that have been picked from an infected plant, but Leonard said the produce should not be canned or frozen because it will raise the acidity level.
Late blight is not believed to be able to survive into next season if the plants are disposed of properly, but it is possible, Leonard said.
The disease does not appear to be a threat to any agriculture in Green County, but a significant nuisance to home gardeners, she said.
A threat Broge knows all too well.
"I might dig up a new piece of ground and start over," next year, she said.
By the next day, many of them had wilted or died.
The following day she took a sample of the dead plants to the UW-Extension office in Monroe to discover her plants had the same disease that threatens potato and tomato crops across the state - late blight.
"The stalks on my plants started to whither and the plants started to turn a funny color," Broge said. "I knew something was wrong."
Broge, who planted the five-feet high plants in May, watched as almost overnight her entire tomato crop of 12 plants died.
"I had tears over it," she said.
On July 29, the University of Wisconsin Disease and Diagnostic Clinic confirmed the disease had made its way into the state.
The plant pathogen, which is not known to be harmful to humans, has spread to all areas of Green County, according to Kristi Leonard, activity assistant for Green County UW-Extension.
The disease has surfaced in the county in the past, she said.
"It has, but it's been several years, and not perhaps to this extent," Leonard said.
Late blight begins to be noticeable in plants when the plant develops a yellow color, then as the condition worsens spots form on the leaves and the plant begins to wilt.
Each lesion on a leaf or piece of fruit can produce up to 300,000 spores in a day, according to a UW-Extension statement. The disease has the potential to defoliate entire fields in three weeks after first contact with the spores, if conditions are correct, the statement said.
The University of Wisconsin determined the disease was not caused by a plant brought in from a different state, but rather the pathogen is being carried by the wind.
Cool, rainy weather and high winds have caused the plant disease to explode, Leonard said.
Plants infected with late blight should be plowed and buried, or the plants should be placed in black plastic bags and left in the sun, she said. The high temperature inside the bag should kill the fungal-like organism.
It is possible to eat fruit or parts of fruit that have been picked from an infected plant, but Leonard said the produce should not be canned or frozen because it will raise the acidity level.
Late blight is not believed to be able to survive into next season if the plants are disposed of properly, but it is possible, Leonard said.
The disease does not appear to be a threat to any agriculture in Green County, but a significant nuisance to home gardeners, she said.
A threat Broge knows all too well.
"I might dig up a new piece of ground and start over," next year, she said.