Diseases of tomatoes: description with photos and methods of treatment

There is no summer resident who would not plant tomatoes on the plot. But like other vegetables, they are susceptible to various diseases. As a result of which you can not get a crop. It is bitter to lose a crop of tomatoes, in which a lot of effort has already been invested. Yes, and recovered tomatoes are sinewy, tasteless, completely unlike your favorite red, juicy tomato. In this article, we will describe in detail what are the diseases of tomatoes and suggest ways to treat them.

Some vegetable growers are mistaken, thinking that if you do not process tomatoes at all, you can get an environmentally friendly crop. It is the judicious use of protective equipment that will help to collect excellent ripe tomatoes from strong tomato bushes. Let's find out how to achieve this.

Signs of tomato disease

The ability to notice the first symptoms of plant infection with an infection in time comes with experience. But even a novice vegetable grower, endowed with the necessary knowledge, will be able to quickly recognize the disease of a bush with tomatoes and improve the plantation. Below are the characteristic signs of the most dangerous diseases.

Phytophthora on tomatoes

Late blight is a dangerous fungal infection. A real scourge of tomato ridges. It is worth getting a little colder and pouring rain or fog, as the insidious fungus immediately attacks the young leaves and shoots of tomatoes. The characteristic signs of phytophthora damage are as follows.

1. The leaves and shoots of tomato bushes are covered with yellowish spots, which eventually become dark brown.
2. At high humidity, a light gray, thin coating can be seen on the reverse side of the sheet.
3. On tomatoes, hard spots are visible pressed inward, which over time affect an increasing surface.
4. Affected tomato leaves dry out, starting with brown spots, in places of which a translucent tissue of shrunken fibers appears. The fruits and stems rot.

Usually late blight on tomatoes appears after the development of the fungus on potatoes, about two weeks later. If you process potato plants on time, you can prevent infection of tomatoes.

Macrosporiosis (dry spotting)

The spores of the causative agent of this fungal disease of tomatoes spread rapidly with wind and rain. A resistant fungus persists on soil, plant debris, and also spreads through infected seeds. Symptoms of infection of tomatoes with macrosporiosis are as follows.

• Most often it affects the leaves and stems of tomato bushes, the fungus develops less frequently on the fruits.
• The disease appears first on the lower leaves, gradually moving higher, affecting the upper tender leaves and young shoots of the plant.
• Macrosporiosis manifests itself in the form of round brown spots, on which concentric light circles clearly appear.
• With a significant infection, tomato fruits are also affected - depressed black spots appear on them, mainly around the stalk.
  In wet weather, a velvety dark coating with ripe spores of the fungus is clearly visible on the spots, which, with the first breath of wind, are ready to scatter in all directions, affecting new plants.

Severe infection can greatly weaken or completely destroy tomato bushes, and fungal spores are stored on plant debris for several years.

Bacterial black spot on tomatoes

Tomatoes are affected throughout the entire growing season - from the appearance of sprouts to the collection of ripe fruits. This is a bacterial disease that greatly inhibits tomato bushes and can completely destroy the crop. You can suspect infection with such changes.

1. Small black spots form along the edges of the leaves, which then merge and capture the entire surface.
2. The lesion quickly moves to the shoots, the spots that appear on them are oblong, dark brown.
3. On the tomatoes, dark areas are visible, girded with a characteristic light yellow watery edge, rotten flesh with an unpleasant odor is found under them.
4. Diseased tissues of leaves, stems and fruits of tomatoes rot, the plant stops developing.

Note

The causative agent of bacterial black spot is an aerobic bacterium that does not form spores. It persists even on completely decayed plant remains; without a nutrient medium, it dies after a few days.

Septoria (white spot)

Fungal infection mainly affects the leaves of tomatoes, less often other parts of the bush. It manifests itself in wet and warm weather with such signs of the disease.

• On young shoots of tomatoes, grayish-white, untidy spots of irregular shape with a dark border and numerous small dots (pycnidia of the fungus) can be seen over the entire surface.
• On adult tomato bushes, leaves are more often affected, whitish spots merge, leaf tissues turn yellow, curl and dry.
• Dried leaves do not produce nutrients, which is why the entire bush stops developing, and the tomato crop is reduced by 30-50% or dies completely.
• The harmfulness of the disease is greatly enhanced by the combination with other fungal diseases - most often gray spot. The presence of symptoms of different diseases can confuse even an experienced vegetable grower, but it is important to remember that the causative agents of both tomato diseases are fungi, and the same control measures can be applied to them.

Good to know

Often, septoria appears even on tomato seedlings grown densely, in poorly ventilated greenhouses or greenhouses that are favorable for the development of the fungus.

Cladosporiosis (brown spot)

An extremely harmful fungal disease of tomatoes that develops in wet, rainy weather and most often affects the leaves of tomatoes. The features of the disease are as follows.

1. The first signs of the disease occur during the mass flowering of tomatoes or fruit set.
2. Light, yellowish spots appear on the upper side of the leaf, on the reverse side, in place of these spots, a dirty brown fluffy coating is visible.
3. The affected surface quickly turns brown, concentric circles are clearly visible on it, the tissues dry out, the leaves on the tomato bushes curl and fall off.
4. Infected flowers wither and dry right in the inflorescences, on the fruits of a tomato, brown spotting appears in the form of dirty brown foci near the stalk.

Cladosporiosis can penetrate into small wounds that the vegetable grower causes unintentionally - when pinching, harvesting, pinching. Such manipulations should be carried out only in dry sunny weather, in the afternoon or in the morning.

Root rot on tomatoes

• Tomato leaves wither in sunny weather, initially recovering overnight, with the development of the disease turn yellow and gradually die off.
• Dark spots appear on the stems, tissues are destroyed, coarsened and cease to nourish the plant.
• The roots and root neck of the tomato bush darken, soften, become like a washcloth, and an unpleasant odor emanates from them.
• Unripe tomatoes shrivel and remain on the bushes, mature ones rot and crumble.

Country Council

Irrigation under the root with cold water can provoke an outbreak of the disease, so it should be preheated to a temperature of 20-26 C.

Tobacco mosaic (striation)

An unpleasant viral disease of tomatoes observed in the southern regions. The virus can penetrate into plant tissues through the bites of pests (aphids, nematodes, mealybugs, and others), with mechanical damage to tomato bushes during treatments. The symptoms of the disease are as follows.

1. Small white dots appear on the leaves of tomatoes, then spots appear in the form of a mosaic - alternation of light and dark areas, over time, the leaves curl and dry.
2. The stems are covered with dried elongated spots, become thinner, become brittle.
3. There are few fruits, they are covered with black stripes, under which there are foci of necrosis.
4. In general, the tomato bush is far behind in development, losing the characteristic external signs of its species.

Should be considered

A vegetable grower can introduce the virus to an area with tobacco plants or when treating an area from pests with tobacco dust.

Bushiness of tomatoes

A disease that, upon the onset of heat, moves from greenhouses, where it is most characteristic, to planting tomatoes in open ground. These signs are typical

• The main stem stops development, while stepchildren - axillary shoots develop intensively.
• The leaves are crushed, brighten, acquire an unusual terry appearance with a lighter, wavy border bent inward.
• There are no or very few tomatoes at all, they are small, irregular in shape, the seeds are undeveloped.
  The entire tomato bush is oppressed, does not grow, and loses the appearance inherent in its species.

The virus is carried by sucking pests - aphids, fleas, nematodes.

Non-infectious diseases of tomato bushes

Deviations in the development of plants can be associated with improper care and it is enough for the vegetable grower to eliminate the errors. Here are the most common problems when growing tomatoes.

1. Fruit cracking
The main reason is too abundant watering on dry soil at the time of ripening. Tomatoes are plants that are more suitable for porous soil with a light structure, so excessive watering can only do harm.

2. Growth arrest
Occurs due to the lack of the following elements:

• nitrogen, which leads to yellowing and curling of the leaves, chopping the fruits of tomatoes;
• phosphorus, then the leaves of tomatoes become smaller and acquire a purple hue;
• potassium, which is characterized by chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves, which later look burnt and crumble;
• copper, when the leaves of the tomato bush turn white, the inflorescences are underdeveloped, the shoots weaken. The lack of copper is compensated by the use of copper-containing fungicides (copper oxychloride, Bordeaux mixture, cuproxate).

3. Green spots on tomatoes
The reasons may be the characteristics of the variety, lack of potassium, or exposure to bright sunlight on the tomato.

WE RECOMMEND!

Does the neighbor have a better harvest? Increased yield in just 2-3 days. Even in an abnormally rainy summer, you will have an excellent harvest after applying the original bio-plant growth stimulator. The biofertilizer contains only natural ingredients.

4. Blossom end rot of tomatoes
The disease is characterized by the appearance of a brown dry spot on the top of the fruit, which becomes concave, watery and rots. May be accompanied by fungal and bacterial diseases. Causes - excess nitrogen and lack of calcium. It is necessary to restore the balance, remove the damaged tomatoes.

5. Leaf curl
It serves as a sign of various disorders in the development of tomatoes, the main ones are:

• lack of moisture and too hot air - tomato leaves curl to reduce moisture evaporation;
• lack of phosphorus - bending the leaf plate down, purple hue;
• lack of potassium - turning the leaf up from the edge to the center, curly young leaves;
• defeat by fleas, aphids, spider mites - colonization of the reverse side of the leaf by colonies and sucking out the juice by them leads to twisting of the plate.

An attentive vegetable grower will be able to quickly identify certain flaws in the care of tomato beds and correct the shortcomings at no special cost. As for contagious diseases, a whole range of measures must be applied to them.

Measures and methods for combating tomato diseases

After determining the disease, you should immediately begin to act, the choice of the necessary methods depends on which pathogen caused the disease: a fungus, a bacterium or a virus. Let's consider the procedure.

Fungal diseases of tomatoes

Fungi love a humid environment, so the outbreak of diseases most often falls on rainy, damp weather, with fogs and daily temperature changes.

1. After rooting plants, two weeks after planting tomato seedlings, fungicide treatments are carried out. For many years, gardeners have been saving plantings with Bordeaux liquid. A 0.45% suspension of copper oxychloride (45 g per 10 l) also works well. For 1 weave, it is enough to prepare 5-6 liters of a working solution.

How to make Bordeaux liquid

We prepare a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid in the following order:

• we take 100 g of copper sulfate, 150 g of quicklime per 10 liters of water;
• copper sulfate is stirred in a separate container in 3 liters of warm water;
• extinguish lime in another vessel, also pouring 3 liters of water into it;
• gradually introduce the solution of vitriol into a lime suspension, mix thoroughly and pass through gauze;
• add water to a volume of 10 liters.

2. In years with high humidity, potentially dangerous for the development of fungal diseases, apply fungicides every 14 days.
Spraying with Bordeaux liquid is stopped 7 days before picking tomatoes, with other preparations - 21 days before.

3. An excellent effect is obtained by combining fungicide treatments with spraying with drugs that stimulate growth and increase plant resistance to stress (Epin, Emistim S, Humat).

4. Against root rot, watering under the root with a suspension of foundationazole (10 g per 5 l of water) is used, and the root formation stimulator Kornevin (1 g per 1 l) is also applied.

5. Biological agents, such as Fitosporin M, are not as harmful as pesticides, but they perfectly inhibit fungi, in addition, the effect of the drug is enhanced by growth stimulants and a set of trace elements.

Advice for gardeners

Use an infusion of garlic to curb the development of fungal diseases. To do this, 50 g of crushed garlic cloves are kept for a day in 200 ml of water, the resulting concentrate is diluted with 10 liters of water and the bush is sprayed every 10 days, at the rate of 10 liters per 100 sq.m.

Video: how to cook Bordeaux liquid

Bacterial diseases of tomatoes

Most often, these infections occur against the background of lesions by fungi or pests. Their harmful effect is limited by the use of fungicides, as well as the general high level of agricultural technology - keeping the beds clean, timely pinching, watering and fertilizing. If the disease has been identified, act as follows.

1. For early detection of the disease, biological preparations are used - Trichodermin and Fitosporin-M.
Trichodermin contains in its composition the mycelium of the fungus, which suppresses pathogenic fungi, as well as bacteria. The liquid preparation is sprayed in wet weather (after rain or early in the morning) on ​​the green parts of the tomato bush.

2. If the disease is already progressing in combination with fungal infections, potent pesticides should be used - Kuproksat, Topaz, Ridomil.

3. The treatment with a weak solution of iodine or potassium permanganate inhibits the development of the disease.

After harvesting on a diseased tomato plantation, all plant residues should be carefully collected and burned, and the soil should be disinfected.

4. Trichodermin can be applied as mulch when planting seedlings, as well as into the ground during spring cultivation of the site. The multiplied fungus will suppress pathogens during the growing season of tomatoes.

Virus diseases of tomatoes

Often they are brought to the site with infected planting material - seeds, cuttings, seedlings. From plant to plant, the disease is carried by pests or by humans during care. Ways to combat viral diseases of tomatoes are as follows:

1. When the first signs of infection of the bushes with a viral infection appear, the tomato bush must be dug up and destroyed.

2. Then they find out the source of infection - if infection with a tobacco mosaic has occurred, and tobacco is grown nearby, the vegetable grower should make a choice in favor of one of the crops.

WE RECOMMEND!

An effective remedy for alcohol addiction. Based on only natural ingredients. According to the results of the study, 25% of the tested volunteers noted a significant decrease in cravings for alcohol and an improvement in the state of the body, and 75% of the subjects stopped drinking completely!

3. The tomato is treated with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate, as well as Ridomil.

Viruses can persist in greenhouse shelters and greenhouses throughout the year, so plant debris must be carefully removed and equipment disinfected.

Video: Diseases of tomato seedlings and their treatment

Prevention of tomato diseases

To avoid crop losses and save significant funds, it is better to resort to effective preventive measures. The main ones are as follows.

1. Observe crop rotation - do not return tomatoes to their original place earlier than after 5 years. Do not grow after or near potatoes, eggplants, peppers and tobacco.

2. Remember that many ornamental plants can serve as carriers of viral, bacterial and fungal infections.

Things to Consider When Growing Tomatoes

Asters and chrysanthemums serve as carriers of the tomato bushiness virus.

3. After harvesting, remove all plant debris, including fallen fruits and leaves. If any infection has been observed, it is better to bury such waste to a depth of at least 1 m or burn it.

4. Preplant seed treatment with special preparations is important - Fundazol or Agat 25K. A good effect is disinfection with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. After processing, the seeds are dried.

5. When growing seedlings, greenhouses are regularly ventilated and greenhouse films are removed in warm weather. Many infections are introduced with seedlings from closed ground.

6. The use of resistant varieties and hybrids can be an excellent preventive measure against various diseases, including fungal and non-contagious diseases such as fruit cracking.

7. Diseases of non-contagious origin are prevented by proper agricultural practices, the application of fertilizers and trace elements.

Amateur vegetable growers can grow an excellent crop of tomatoes on their plot with minimal use of chemical protection products. To do this, you need to follow the basic rules of agricultural technology, apply simple preventive measures and carefully monitor the slightest changes in the development of plants. To obtain an environmentally friendly crop, preference should be given to resistant varieties and biological preparations.

Alina Sokolova, especially for

With full copying or partial use of the material, an active link to www.!