Source: Knvul Sheikh, NY TIMES, 7/30/19

Late blight is a common disease of plants such as tomatoes and potatoes, capable of wiping out entire crops on commercial-scale fields. Caused by a fungus-like pathogen, it first appears as black or brown lesions on leaves, stems, fruit or tubers. If conditions are favorable, it can quickly spread to other plants through wet soil and as wind-scattered spores. In the mid-nineteenth century, late blight famously caused the Irish potato famine.

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