ALBANY - State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced a new concerted strategy that will enhance the State's detection and eradication efforts of late blight, a plant disease that mainly attacks potatoes and tomatoes. Late blight was the cause of much distress to backyard gardeners, as well as a significant production loss for New York's commercial growers in 2009.

"New York had the perfect weather combination of cooler temperatures and rainy days for the development of late blight last summer," the Commissioner said. "While not an uncommon plant disease in New York, its impact on the State's potato and tomato crops had a devastating effect as it arrived earlier and stayed longer than normal. Late blight was an even greater challenge to the State's organic growers who did not have the approved control measures to combat this highly contagious disease in the field."

The Commissioner added, "In an effort to be more prepared for the possible introduction of late blight, the Department has met with industry stakeholders and leaders, as well as members from Cornell University's Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic and Cooperative Extension, to put into place a strategy that enables rapid detection, clear communication and an organized system to protect plant health this summer."

Over the past few months, the Department has thoroughly reviewed the 2009 outbreak of late blight, trained its horticultural inspectors on how to identify the disease, and put in place a strategy to reduce the spread of late blight, if it is introduced in New York in 2010. The Department will be surveying plants at the retail level in stores as well as in commercial greenhouses, while Cooperative Extension will follow up with any suspect cases in the field from commercial growers or home gardeners.