There are two types of such a common disease as apical rot of tomatoes. In the first case, damage to the fetus in the region of the stalk occurs as a result of metabolic disturbances in the plant itself; in the second, bacteria become the cause of this unpleasant phenomenon. Let us consider in more detail how to avoid this disease and what to do if the fruits are still affected.
Vertebral rot prevention of non-bacterial origin
The causes of the disease in this case are mainly due to a lack of calcium. Outwardly, it manifests itself in the appearance in the region of the peduncle of a watery spot, which then begins to grow, blacken and become covered with characteristic folded dry circles. The top rot of tomatoes (a photo of the affected fruits is presented on the left) of this type is most likely to occur when the soil under them is not sufficiently moistened and it lacks such an important trace element as calcium. Most often, this type of disease affects tomatoes growing in greenhouses. In this case, along with insufficient watering, the cause often becomes too high air temperature (27 - 30 degrees).
Affected fruits are absolutely unsuitable for food, as well as their seeds for planting. The top rot of tomatoes is unlikely to occur if the greenhouse maintains the optimum temperature regime (22 - 25 degrees during the day and 18 at night).
In addition, you should know how to properly water the plants. On cloudy days, the soil under the tomatoes is moistened once a week, on sunny days - 5 times.
Of course, changing the temperature in the greenhouse is a rather complicated task. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the composition of the soil. In autumn, liming should be carried out on soils poor in calcium. A similar procedure will be useful for tomatoes grown in open field. In addition, plants should be sprayed with 0.5 calcium nitrate solution . Do this during intensive fruit ripening with a frequency of approximately two times a week.
Processing seeds in special solutions will also help prevent the emergence of a disease such as the top rot of tomatoes. The following composition can be used: 0.3 g of zinc sulfate, 0.5 g of manganese sulfate, 50 g of copper sulfate. All this is dissolved in a liter of water and the planting material is soaked in the mixture for 24 hours.
Failure to grow varieties designed for open ground in a greenhouse can also reduce the risk of a disease such as tomato rot. How to deal with it - the question in this case will not be so acute. It is considered appropriate to use, for example, varieties such as Rusich, Volgograd, Prelude, etc.
Prevention of bacterial vertebral rot
The stains on the fruits of the peduncle during the manifestation of the disease due to bacteria have a grayish tint and are weeping in type. In this case, the pulp of the fetus is also affected. The main reason for such a nuisance is considered high humidity and its increased temperature. Do not
water tomatoes too often in cloudy weather. If we are talking about a greenhouse, we must try to ensure that the humidity inside the air is not higher than 70% and not lower than 50%. In addition, it is imperative to pick off the affected fruits and burn the tops in the fall. The fact is that pathogenic bacteria winter well in it, and then settle on new plants. Of great importance is also such an event as a garter of the fruit. Tomatoes lying on the ground are more likely to be affected. Planting material should be treated with 1% potassium permanganate solution
Thus, observing all the necessary rules for growing and taking various preventive measures, it is possible to prevent the development of a disease such as the top rot of tomatoes.