Sunken water-soaked area on the outside of the tomato

Last week I had an enquiry regarding the blackspots appearing on fruit post-harvest.  This is nothing new, I’ve had this happen to me on several occasions during twenty years of growing. Quite often, when you are picking the fruit, it is not visible, it’s not until 24 to 48 hours post-harvest that it starts to become noticeable.  It is very frustrating to receive a phone call, from the markets, to say your fruit is collapsing.  I believe the photo, above, to be Anthracnose, it is hard to be 100% certain without it being sent to a laboratory for analysis and confirmation.

Two weeks ago I came across Blight for the first time in a while. It is no surprise that now, with the poor weather we are being belted with, fungus issues are appearing.  It has cooled down but humidity is high and even growers, with the best heating systems, can fall foul to all types of fungal infections.  Left untreated, these brown Anthracnose type spots, on the fruit will more than likely continue to cause issues.  

Cover Photo: The fruit collapsing from the brown fungal spots

Most experienced growers will have come across this at some point in time, and like me, would’ve sourced a recommended fungicide from their local horticulture supplier.  Which, in my experience has done the trick each time.  Now new products, like HuwaSan, are available and on the market, these can be used as a post-harvest treatment.

Having these options for growers is hugely beneficial.  Please ensure you get all the information, regarding application, from the supplier before applying to your crops pre or post-harvest.

For more information on HuwaSan Contact:

Grant Beare

M – 021 020 08040

E – grant@educhem.co.nz

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Article Written by Stefan Vogrincic, Consultant, Grower2Grower

Article Edited by Marie Vogrincic, Editor, Grower2Grower