What type of disease is on my tomatoe plants?

[Shelia Hoyt]

Does anyone know what type of disease is affecting my tomato plants? At first I thought it was leaf spot; however it may have leaf spot but it has something in addition to the leaf spot. Once the leaves curl and turn brown it is only a matter of days before the entire plant is affected. All of the blossoms drop because of this also. I had to pull the ones from my AP system. The garden is about 10 feet from the AP system so I am not sure which tomatoes were infected first. I have already pulled several plants and I should have taken  a picture of the end result, but I was trying to reduce the spread of this disease. have had a garden for about twenty years and have never had this happen before.

Also it has been a week since I pulled my plants in the AP system is it wise to replant some seeds? Will the disease live in the AP system and spread to new plants?

Thanks- Shelia

[Homefire]

Hi Shelia,

Just from googling around, looks like it could be Tomato spotted wilt virus.

Let us know what treatment you come to.

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1861.pdf

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) can be a widespread
problem in greenhouse tomatoes. Like ToMV,
diagnosis of TSWV in greenhouse tomatoes can be difficult.
Symptoms can be many and varied. TSWV
symptoms can be confused with those caused by other
viral, fungal or bacterial pathogens, or nutritional disorders.
One of the chief vectors of the virus, the
Western flower thrips (several other thrips species are
also known to transmit the virus), is widespread
across the Midsouth. Scouting for and controlling
thrips populations is important to prevent the spread
of TSWV. Many weedy plants can harbor the virus, so
keep a weed-free perimeter around the greenhouse.
Test kits are available to check for the presence of
TSWV in tomato. The immunostrip test kits are inexpensive,
dependable, and easy to use. Contact your
county Extension office to find out where to buy test
kits.
Key symptom (or at least suspect TSWV): Look for
small, dark-brown leaf spots in the upper portion of
the plant, which may be arranged in a "ringspot" pattern,
dark streaking in petioles and stems, stunted
growth terminals, and brown or black lesions on distorted
fruit. Submit samples of suspicious plants to
your Extension plant disease diagnostic lab. Remove
suspect plants.
Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) was first
observed in Mississippi in greenhouse tomatoes in
2001. This destructive virus disease is transmitted by
whiteflies. Once infection occurs, the virus prevents
further plant development. No flowers or fruit are produced
from that point on resulting in a total crop loss.
Key symptom: Symptoms begin showing up
about 10-12 days after feeding of whiteflies that carry
the virus. Leaves in the top of the plant will develop
interveinal chlorosis (yellowing between the veins),
and the sides of the leaves will curl upward. The
leaves may look crinkled. The symptoms will be subtle
at first, but yellowing will increase over time and
become very noticeable. Scouting for and controlling
whiteflies are important methods
of preventing further
spread of the virus.
Commonly grown Mississippi
greenhouse tomato varieties
do not have resistance to this
disease.

 

Biological Management
Biological management is the most economic and
effective method of handling several significant diseases.
Biological disease management mainly involves
using varieties with disease resistance. Compared to
the 1970s when the commonly grown varieties did not
have disease resistance, most modern greenhouse
tomato varieties are resistant to one or more diseases
that used to be limiting factors in production.
Cultural Management
Cultural management refers to practices connected to
the production of the crop. This method creates conditions
that do not favor disease development.
Regulating greenhouse relative humidity is critical
since moisture is the main factor influencing plant
infection by the fungi responsible for gray mold, timber
rot, and leaf mold. Relative humidity must be
above 90 percent for spore germination and infection
to occur. Most bacterial diseases also need high, relative
humidity.
Control of relative humidity is particularly important
when greenhouses are tightly sealed to conserve
energy. During warm fall and spring days, the air
inside the greenhouse picks up moisture, since warm
air holds more moisture than cool air. As the air cools
in the evening, the moisture-holding capacity drops
until the house reaches the dew point and moisture
begins to collect on surfaces. Eliminate moisture condensation
by three methods:

[Debra Colvin]

To me, it looks like overwatering, since it's at the tips. or atl east something that is affecting the newer root sprouts, um..how much water do those plants get?

[TCLynx]

Provided the dissolved oxygen levels are good, I've had tomato plants thrive in constantly flooded beds so I will doubt that it is too much water unless you tell me it's a constantly flooded bed that only gets intermittent or very slow water flow.

[Shelia Hoyt]

This disease is in both my AP system and my dirt garden- We had a wet Spring in Missouri, however the plants are in a raised bed so the dirt garden drys fairly quickly. The AP system is flood and drain and has an auto siphon so it drains completely on a regular basis also. Thanks-

Debra Colvin said:

To me, it looks like overwatering, since it's at the tips. or atl east something that is affecting the newer root sprouts, um..how much water do those plants get?

[Shelia Hoyt]

Thanks Homefire,

 I will definitely look that up on Monday. This is my 80 hour week and I will only work 9 on Monday, so I will have a little spare time.

I just checked a few minutes ago and it appears that there are more black and brown spots around the leaves. This also applies: "interveinal chlorosis (yellowing between the veins),
and the sides of the leaves will curl upward. The
leaves may look crinkled. The symptoms will be subtle
at first, but yellowing will increase over time and
become very noticeable".

The only thing that does not apply is these are not in a green house; however they came from a green house in Springfield. Who knows where the plants originated at. In fact the olnly ones that do not have  disease are the voulunteer from last year's crop and a few rare seeds that I planted that are non- hybrid. So these could have been carrying the virus when I bought them. I guess I need to pull them up asap. Especially since the all the fruit is dropping as soon as it forms a small fruit.

Homefire said:

Hi Shelia,

Just from googling around, looks like it could be Tomato spotted wilt virus.

Let us know what treatment you come to.

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1861.pdf

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) can be a widespread
problem in greenhouse tomatoes. Like ToMV,
diagnosis of TSWV in greenhouse tomatoes can be difficult.
Symptoms can be many and varied. TSWV
symptoms can be confused with those caused by other
viral, fungal or bacterial pathogens, or nutritional disorders.
One of the chief vectors of the virus, the
Western flower thrips (several other thrips species are
also known to transmit the virus), is widespread
across the Midsouth. Scouting for and controlling
thrips populations is important to prevent the spread
of TSWV. Many weedy plants can harbor the virus, so
keep a weed-free perimeter around the greenhouse.
Test kits are available to check for the presence of
TSWV in tomato. The immunostrip test kits are inexpensive,
dependable, and easy to use. Contact your
county Extension office to find out where to buy test
kits.
Key symptom (or at least suspect TSWV): Look for
small, dark-brown leaf spots in the upper portion of
the plant, which may be arranged in a "ringspot" pattern,
dark streaking in petioles and stems, stunted
growth terminals, and brown or black lesions on distorted
fruit. Submit samples of suspicious plants to
your Extension plant disease diagnostic lab. Remove
suspect plants.
Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) was first
observed in Mississippi in greenhouse tomatoes in
2001. This destructive virus disease is transmitted by
whiteflies. Once infection occurs, the virus prevents
further plant development. No flowers or fruit are produced
from that point on resulting in a total crop loss.
Key symptom: Symptoms begin showing up
about 10-12 days after feeding of whiteflies that carry
the virus. Leaves in the top of the plant will develop
interveinal chlorosis (yellowing between the veins),
and the sides of the leaves will curl upward. The
leaves may look crinkled. The symptoms will be subtle
at first, but yellowing will increase over time and
become very noticeable. Scouting for and controlling
whiteflies are important methods
of preventing further
spread of the virus.
Commonly grown Mississippi
greenhouse tomato varieties
do not have resistance to this
disease.

 

Biological Management
Biological management is the most economic and
effective method of handling several significant diseases.
Biological disease management mainly involves
using varieties with disease resistance. Compared to
the 1970s when the commonly grown varieties did not
have disease resistance, most modern greenhouse
tomato varieties are resistant to one or more diseases
that used to be limiting factors in production.
Cultural Management
Cultural management refers to practices connected to
the production of the crop. This method creates conditions
that do not favor disease development.
Regulating greenhouse relative humidity is critical
since moisture is the main factor influencing plant
infection by the fungi responsible for gray mold, timber
rot, and leaf mold. Relative humidity must be
above 90 percent for spore germination and infection
to occur. Most bacterial diseases also need high, relative
humidity.
Control of relative humidity is particularly important
when greenhouses are tightly sealed to conserve
energy. During warm fall and spring days, the air
inside the greenhouse picks up moisture, since warm
air holds more moisture than cool air. As the air cools
in the evening, the moisture-holding capacity drops
until the house reaches the dew point and moisture
begins to collect on surfaces. Eliminate moisture condensation
by three methods:

[TCLynx]

yea, probably not worth keeping if they are just dropping fruit.  And yes they probably came with the disease and the cool wet spring only made things worse.

[Nate Storey]

I think you've got some overwatering with nutrient deficiency- try getting some magnesium on those plants.