Tomato diseases: types, symptoms, treatment and prevention

Tomatoes can safely be called the most common vegetable crop. They are grown both in open ground and in greenhouses. It should be noted that tomatoes can prevail over diseases absolutely everywhere! Diseases are extremely dangerous - because they instantly spread. Also, other members of the nightshade family, such as potatoes and eggplant, can become infected by tomatoes. Today we will talk about the diseases of tomatoes and their treatment. A nice bonus at the end of the article is a selection of varieties that are not afraid of almost no diseases.

Mosaic

Among the most common viral diseases of tomatoes is mosaic. It practically does not respond to treatment, the only thing that can be done is to provide prevention. Moreover, it is necessary to process the seeds, it must be done before planting. A plant that is already sick is useless to process. It is easy to recognize the mosaic: the leaves acquire an unusual color - light and dark green areas alternate, and yellow spots appear on the fruits. Tomatoes affected by this disease are the easiest to remove. By the way, this disease most often affects tomatoes growing in the open ground.

Bacteriosis

Another common tomato disease is bacterial wilting. From bacteriosis, the bush begins to wither. By the way, symptoms usually appear literally in one night! Sometimes inexperienced gardeners think that the cause of this wilting is a banal lack of moisture. However, it is enough to carefully examine a withered plant to find that the stem inside is hollow, there is liquid. At the same time, internal tissues can acquire an unpleasant brown tint.

It is impossible to cure this tomato disease. The plants affected by it must be removed and destroyed as soon as possible. All plants located next to a diseased tomato must be watered with a one percent solution of Fitolavina-300. This should be done even if the plants have no signs of disease. Under each bush, pour at least 200 milliliters of liquid. All plants can be sprayed with a solution of the same concentration. It will not work to cure those plants that are already sick, but it is quite possible to prevent the infection of healthy ones.

Stem Necrosis

This tomato disease can be classified as viral. The first signs of necrosis appear on well-developed plants at the time when the formation of brushes with fruits begins on them. The lower part of the stem is covered with small cracks, which initially have a dark green color. Later, cracks increase, something similar to the beginnings of aerial roots appears in them. The leaves of the affected bush begin to fade, the plant falls and dies. Tomatoes, of course, do not have time to ripen.

Gardeners call the source of this infection contaminated soil or seeds. Bushes with necrosis need to be torn out and burned. And the soil should be treated with a 0.2% solution of the drug "Fitolavin-300".

Macrosporiosis (Alternariosis)

This fungal disease of tomatoes is also called brown or dry spotting. Usually it affects the stems and leaves of the bush, less often the fruits fall ill. The development of the fungus begins with the lower leaves. Symptoms are as follows:

• large rounded spots appear on the leaves;
• twigs begin to dry out;
• spots appear on the stem;
• the stalk rots or dies.

The description of tomato disease is as follows: dark spots may form near the stalk. They look like they are slightly depressed. If the humidity in the greenhouse is high, dark velvety mold appears on the surface of the spots. Due to the fact that this disease develops only at high temperatures (about + 25-30 degrees), it is considered to be a tomato disease in the greenhouse. The fungus is stored on ceilings in the greenhouse and on plant debris. Abundant sporulation leads to the fact that the disease spreads very quickly with drops of water or the wind.

As a prophylaxis, tomato bushes should be treated with antifungal drugs, which include copper. We should also talk about the fight against tomato disease. As soon as you notice the first symptoms of the disease, treat the bushes with drugs such as Skor and Ridomil Gold. Please note: these are strong enough chemicals, and therefore, they can only be processed with tomatoes before ovaries appear on them. In the event that the symptoms of the disease appear, and the fruits are already hanging on the branches, it is better to choose biological products.

Late blight

This disease can certainly be called the most common. This disease is dangerous to open tomatoes, but it often affects greenhouse specimens. Phytophthora is a fungus, and therefore it develops where there is dampness. Differences in air temperature can also contribute to the development. The disease begins with the fact that the leaves turn black and dry, and then the fruits. How to prevent the growth of mushrooms in the greenhouse? Summer residents are advised to take ordinary plastic bottles, cut off their bottom. Small holes should be made on the side (this can be done with a nail). These bottles must be inserted with the neck down next to the bush to water the plants not over the entire surface of the soil, but only through the bottle - immediately to the roots.

As prophylaxis, it is recommended to use whey - it needs to spray the bushes. It will prevent the development of spores. Instead of serum, you can use Fitosporin, Barrier, and Barrier.

Chloratic curl of leaves

Tomatoes affected by this disease are characterized by a light yellow or pale green color, a chlorotic appearance, and stunting. The top of the plant is curled. This disease is caused by two viruses - the tobacco necrosis virus and the tobacco mosaic virus. Curly is transmitted with contaminated soil and seeds. You can deal with it as you would with a mosaic - disinfect the seeds before sowing them, and the soil. But plants that are already sick are recommended to be removed.

Leaf torsion

Sometimes beginning gardeners confuse chloratic curliness with curl of leaves on the tops of tomato bushes. The latter is not a disease; rather, it is a consequence of a violation of the conditions of detention and nutrition. There are several reasons for the swirling:

1. Abundant watering, due to which the plants lack air.
2. Contact with herbicide tomato leaves and plant poisoning.
3. Spraying the bush with a growth stimulant called Tomaton.

In the first case, the situation can be corrected - it is enough to regularly loosen the soil around the plant and to spud them. But the second and third reasons are more serious: tomatoes are unlikely to recover. Therefore, plants will have to be removed.

Cladosporiosis

This tomato disease (pictured) is also called brown olive spotting. The disease belongs to the fungal category, it usually affects bushes growing in greenhouses. The disease begins with the lower leaves: yellow chlorotic spots form on the upper side. The spots increase and merge into one large spot. At the same time, a velvety brown coating appears on the underside - spores of the fungus. Leaves curl, dry.

It is worth noting that this disease usually affects flowering bushes. Symptoms may occur at the very beginning of bearing. Especially acute cladosporiosis occurs with high humidity and low light. Among the reasons emit watering with cold water, temperature extremes and dampness. It is extremely rare that the disease affects the fruit. But if this happens, the tomatoes become soft, acquire a brown tint and dry. The only method of combating cladosporiosis is the processing of tomatoes with preparations containing copper. Before processing, it is imperative to remove all affected leaves.

Septoria

Another name for this fungal disease is spotting. Because of it, productivity decreases, the plant begins to dry out, loses its leaves. It is difficult to notice the first symptoms - initially the disease affects the lower leaves: small light spots appear on them. Later, a small black dot appears in the middle of the spot. Septoria first affects the leaves of the bush, then goes on to the petioles and stems. After that, the leaves become brown and fall off.

The spread of this disease is accelerated by high humidity, warm weather. Septoria develops especially rapidly in the second half of summer. Please note: the disease is not transmitted by seeds. It is necessary to treat a sick plant with copper-containing preparations. Chorus, Tsineb are well suited for this purpose.

Gray rot

This disease affects the tomatoes in the greenhouse. It is characterized by the appearance of brown weeping spots. For one night, the plant becomes covered with spores of the fungus. It looks like an ash gray coating. The spots covering the stem are gray-brown in color, at first they are dry, then they become slimy. The disease usually begins in late summer, while the viability of the spores can persist for two years! Among the causes of gray rot are poor ventilation in the greenhouse, high humidity, violation of the temperature regime. If the fruits have ripened before you notice the signs of the disease, they remain suitable for eating. You can also use tomatoes, on which there are small whitish spots. But if the signs of rot appeared in early summer, and you collected green fruits so that they ripen, there is a high risk of infection of healthy fruits harvested for the same purpose.

The treatment for this tomato disease (pictured below) should begin with the removal of leaves that are affected. This will stop the rot and prevent it from entering the trunk. We recommend removing leaves in sunny (even hot weather), so that within a few hours the places of the cut dried out, and the mushroom spores did not have time to get on the trunks. After this, irrigation should not be carried out. By the way, preventing the disease is much easier than treating it. For prevention, garlic infusion is perfect. For spraying, it is necessary to insist for two days 30 grams of chopped garlic in ten liters of water.

Fomoz

Speaking about the diseases of tomatoes, one cannot fail to say about brown rot, also called fomoz. It develops at the stalk. From the outside, it may look like a small dark spot, but inside the tomato is all rotten. Protecting the tomato bush from phomosis is quite simple - for this you should refuse to fertilize the plant with fresh manure.

Blackleg

This fungal disease affects tomatoes in a greenhouse. Treatment should be started after the first symptoms appear. How does the disease progress? It all starts with the fact that spores penetrate into weakened plants through the root neck. At the root itself, the stem begins to darken, thinns and begins to decay. Five to six days after this, the tomato bush dies. The course of the disease can accelerate from temperature changes, lack of ventilation, high humidity, with too dense plantings of tomatoes.

The main source of this fungal infection is contaminated soil. The disease can spread both with lumps of soil and plant debris, and with seeds. Let us consider the control measures in more detail. Of course, seedlings need to be planted on soil free of infection. As the causative agents of the disease accumulate in the soil, it is necessary to change it. In addition, professionals give the following recommendations:

• liming of the earth;
• regular loosening of the soil;
• watering the earth around plants with a solution of potassium permanganate (3-5 grams per 10 liters of water will be needed);
• constant soil filling around the plants with sand (the layer should be 2 cm);
• airing the greenhouse.

Root rot

Rot can be both a disease of greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers. The main cause of root rot is improperly prepared soil, in which there is moisture, not overripe manure. In the fight against the disease can only help a complete change of soil in the greenhouse.

Vertex rot

Speaking about the diseases of tomatoes and their treatment, one cannot but mention vertebral rot - a disease that affects exclusively the fruits of tomatoes. Black spots appear on them. This developmental disorder is caused either by irregular watering or a lack of calcium entering the fruits at the very beginning of their growth. By the way, this does not mean at all that this microelement is not enough in the ground. Just at too high temperatures, tomatoes cannot absorb it. If tomatoes grow in a greenhouse, they must be regularly ventilated.

Another reason is lack of moisture or excess nitrogen. It is possible that you "overfeed" the bushes with liquid manure. If the greenhouse has a normal microclimate and you haven’t added fertilizer with nitrogen, but rot has still appeared, try fertilizing the tomatoes with calcium. It contains ash, egg shells and dolomite flour. They can be sprinkled when planting seedlings. It is worth noting that this method can only be used as a prophylaxis. If apical rot has already appeared, calcium supplementation will not help. Another remedy for protecting tomatoes from illness is a mixture of onion husks and shells. One handful of this mixture should be added to each well when planting plants. It is no longer possible to save the affected fruits, you just need to remove them. We advise you to follow all the rules for caring for tomatoes, pour them with warm water, add calcium nitrate or calcium nitrate under the root - and then the signs of this disease will not appear on your fruits.

Cracking fruit

Considering the disease of tomatoes and the fight against them, it is worth mentioning the cracking of the fruit. Frankly, this is not even a disease, but the consequences of improper care of the plant. This happens during uneven irrigation, when the transition from very dry soil to wet is too sharp. Tomato fruits may also crack from an overdose of nitrogen.

Spot of yellow or green color on the stalk

Often such a spot is only a varietal feature. But it sometimes appears on the fruits of those varieties for which it is not characteristic, that is, it is a tomato disease. There is only one method of treatment - shading of plants from the sun. The thing is that such spots arise due to high temperatures. The formation of lycopene is disturbed, the red pigment burns out. This usually happens in hot weather during the ripening of tomatoes.

Silver spots

Often, gardeners who grow tomatoes in greenhouses wonder about what kind of spots of a silver hue appear on the leaves? Experts versed in plant diseases say this is not a disease or a pest of tomatoes. Silver spots are the result of physiological disturbances in the development of bushes. There are two reasons:

1. Too sharp fluctuations in night and day temperatures.
2. Genetic deviations of hybrids.

Strick

This viral disease, also called streaking, is transmitted through seeds that were taken from diseased plants. This tomato disease begins with seedlings - the leaves and petioles are covered with stripes and specks of red-brown color. The leaves die off, the stems become brittle. To avoid this disease, it is necessary to process the seeds before planting and in no case use material from diseased plants.

Odema

Often there is such a condition of tomato leaves as their edema. This is not a disease, it is absolutely not contagious. Odema is a consequence of a violation of the irrigation regime of the plant. This happens when the temperature of the soil is higher than the temperature of the air. Convex spots appear on the leaves of tomato, which resemble white mold. What to do with the plant? Ventilate more often, increase the amount of sunlight and provide an increase in air temperature.

Lack of batteries

Often, some deviations in development are associated not with diseases, but with a lack of nutrients in the soil. Let us consider in more detail what the lack of certain substances leads to.

Disease-resistant tomato varieties: names, description

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We advise you to pay attention to the tomato "chili verde". In the middle lane, it should be grown in a greenhouse, but in the southern regions, open ground is also suitable. It has a high yield. The fruits are elongated, green with a pleasant golden blush and exquisite taste. Peel "chili" does not crack. Vegetables are ideal for salting and summer salads.