October 2023 - 28

PLANT & SOIL HEALTH
Timing
Abiotic problems often occur
quickly, unlike infectious pathogens
that develop and spread slowly.
For example, a frequent problem in
late winter or early spring is ethylene
damage in greenhouse tomatoes.
This damage, often a result of cracks
or leaks in heaters, causes curling,
twisting and distortion in plants, and
tomatoes are extremely sensitive.
One day the plants look perfectly
fine, then the next day the entire crop
is showing symptoms.
Edema is another abiotic problem
that can occur quickly. Edema
follows bouts of cool, cloudy
weather. The plants take up water
but don't transpire it because it
is cloudy. The fluid builds up in
the cells and then bursts causing
corky ridges often along the veins.
Weather damage, like hail and
lightning, are other examples of
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT ABIOTIC DAMAGE IS THAT
IT OFTEN RESULTS FROM A ONE-TIME EVENT, SO IF
THE ROOTS ARE HEALTHY ... THE NEW GROWTH
SHOULD LOOK BETTER IN A FEW DAYS.
abiotic problems that occur quickly
after one-time events.
Pattern of damage
If an entire crop is affected, this
is another clue that the problem
is related to a non-living cause.
An infectious disease would cause
symptoms hit or miss throughout
the high tunnel or field, not typically
large numbers of plants all at once.
An example is magnesium deficiency
in high tunnel tomatoes. You see it
consistently throughout the entire
crop typically on the older or lower
leaves of the plant. Additionally,
patterns of injury may crop up
when some rows of vegetables are
over- or under- fertilized or when
the dripline in one row is clogged
compared with another row that
received the proper amount of
fertilizer or water. Injuries limited
to one side of the plant or fruit may
also indicate an abiotic cause.
Multiple plant species
affected
If more than one species of plant
is affected, this is likely the result
of an abiotic cause. Infectious
pathogens are typically very
host-specific so something that
attacks a tomato would not likely
attack a lettuce crop. I often get
calls from growers thinking the
powdery mildew on their cucurbits
is spreading to the high tunnel
tomatoes. Powdery mildews look
the same, but each powdery mildew
is very host-specific to the crop.
While it may seem that the disease
is spreading from one species of
crop to another, it is because all
powdery mildews like the same
humid conditions, so they tend to
develop at the same time.
Age of tissue affected
Abiotic symptoms are often limited
to one age of tissue. I often ask
growers with crop problems to note
if the damage is only on the lower,
older leaves or on the new leaves.
They often report the older leaves
look terrible, but the new growth
looks healthy. In these cases, the
damage could have happened when
28 | OCTOBER 2023

http://www.hiwasseeproducts.com

October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2023

Editor's Letter
Feature: Answering the Call
Cover Story: Deterring Wildlife
Business: Effective succession planning
Great Lakes EXPO News: Advancing crop management
AgTech: Drone prep
Plant & Soil Health: Biotic vs. abiotic
Farm Market & Agritourism: Know your customers
Ag Labor Review: California court gets it right
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
October 2023 - 1
October 2023 - 2
October 2023 - 3
October 2023 - Editor's Letter
October 2023 - 5
October 2023 - Feature: Answering the Call
October 2023 - 7
October 2023 - 8
October 2023 - 9
October 2023 - Cover Story: Deterring Wildlife
October 2023 - 11
October 2023 - 12
October 2023 - 13
October 2023 - 14
October 2023 - 15
October 2023 - Business: Effective succession planning
October 2023 - 17
October 2023 - 18
October 2023 - 19
October 2023 - Great Lakes EXPO News: Advancing crop management
October 2023 - 21
October 2023 - AgTech: Drone prep
October 2023 - 23
October 2023 - 24
October 2023 - 25
October 2023 - Plant & Soil Health: Biotic vs. abiotic
October 2023 - 27
October 2023 - 28
October 2023 - 29
October 2023 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Know your customers
October 2023 - 31
October 2023 - Ag Labor Review: California court gets it right
October 2023 - 33
October 2023 - Classifieds
October 2023 - Advertiser Index
October 2023 - 36
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