Bobberman
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Can A tomato seed give blight if it came from blight plants!

I was wondering if the seeds are good from the blighted plants or should I throw them away? Also could the seeds be resistant to blight since it would be like a flew shot for the seeds!

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rainbowgardener
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Apparently the seeds can spread blight. I found this:

"Early blight is caused by Alternaria solani and A. tomatophila, which survive between crops on infected crop residues and on solanaceous host weeds. These fungi can also be carried on tomato seed."
https://www.extension.org/pages/29878/ea ... EelPGd0yM8

and no, the seed would not be able to confer any immunity. We are finding out more that plants actually do have immune systems, but the seed does not. And plant immunity works a lot differently than our immune system with its antibodies. Flu comes from influenza, thus the spelling.

PaulF
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That is one of the reasons I use the fermentation method for seed saving. Rarely do I experience blight bad enough to see it pass from plant to fruit to seed, but then I have no idea if the pathogens are present on the seed I save. My proof is anecdotal not scientific fact so take it for what it is worth. All I can say is my tomatoes are mostly pathogen free and are 100% heirloom/OP varieties. Any disease occurs at the tail end of the season and is of very little consequence. My opinion is sanitation is the biggest reason of no disease and the fermentation method of seed saving certainly helps.

Bobberman
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Not sure I agree with that with seed saving. Most of the seeds I used last year were bought. My seeds I save I use the blender and never had much of a problem in several of the gardens but mainly on one of the gardens that had blight last year! I also addadrop of dish detergent to the blender when I blend the tomato parts to get the seeds. I dry mine on a paper towel and most of them germinate every year! What ever way works best for everyone is the way to go. Thanks for the suggestion!

imafan26
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It is probably not a good idea in any case to save seeds from diseased plants. You want to save seeds from healthy plants and plants that show resiliency under your conditions. If you plants had blight, poor growth, inferior fruit, or disease, they really wouldn't be the best keepers anyway.

Sometimes you can't tell if a seed is infected. That is how basil downy mildew was spread, by infected seeds. To be safe it is best to get certified seeds from a reliable source and there are treatments to treat seeds just in case.

https://www.organicgardeningsimplified.c ... /seeds.pdf



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