| Do you know what diseases to look for on your | | | | don't use any rotten potatoes in your compost as this |
| tomatoes? Keep your tomato crop in top shape by | | | | is a carrier of the fungus. |
| avoiding some common diseases: | | | | Bacterial Wilt: |
| Early blight: | | | | Bacterial wilt is caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, |
| "Early blight affects the tomato foliage, the fruits and | | | | which enters the tomato plants roots through wounds |
| the stems. It is caused by the Alternaria solani fungus. | | | | made by insects, or natural wounds that occur where |
| Symptoms include dark spots that have concentric | | | | secondary roots begin to grow. The disease grows |
| rings. A bulls-eye pattern may develop. The oldest | | | | most easily in a warm and moist environment. Once |
| leaves develop this first, and the leaves may fade to | | | | inside the tomato plant the bacteria multiplies quickly |
| yellow. If the leaves die the tomatoes are left exposed | | | | and fills the plant with slime. This leads to the wilting of |
| and may be subject to sun scald. | | | | the plant, but the leaves remain green. |
| Cure: The affected tomato plants must be removed | | | | Cure: Bacterial wilt is very hard to control as the |
| and all debris must be disposed of. This fungus is soil | | | | bacteria can survive in the soil for several seasons. |
| borne, and will survive the winter. Therefore anything | | | | Make sure you remove any infected tomato plants |
| an affected tomato plant has touched should be | | | | and the soil the tomatoes touched if possible. Crop |
| removed as it is most likely contaminated. You should | | | | rotation has been known to help, especially with plants |
| use a resistant tomato cultivar and rotate your crops. | | | | that aren't affected by the bacteria such as beans, |
| Late blight: | | | | cabbage, and corn. |
| Late blight is caused by the Phytophthora infestans | | | | Southern Blight: |
| fungus and affects both tomatoes and potatoes. It is | | | | Southern Blight is caused by the Sclerotium rolfsii |
| especially dangerous if the weather is particularly cool | | | | fungus. Generally the first symptom is the drooping of |
| and wet. Late blight was the fungus that caused the | | | | the tomato leaves, which is common for other wilts. |
| Irish Potato famine. The leaves will have lesions and will | | | | Next a brownish dry rot will develop on the tomato |
| appear as irregular gray spots. If the weather is damp | | | | plant right near the soil line. Next a white fungus will |
| a white mold may appear around the spots. Once the | | | | begin to develop and lesions will develop on the stems. |
| tomato fruits become infected they will develop dark | | | | This will in turn cause the whole tomato plant to wilt |
| regions that will cover a large percentage of the | | | | and die. |
| tomato. The fungus may be spread tomato plant to | | | | Cure: Unfortunately the fungus can live for years in the |
| tomato plant by wind or rain. | | | | soil, so if your crop develops this destroy the tomato |
| Cure: Make sure you allow adequate spacing between | | | | plants and any soil the tomato plants touched. In |
| the tomato plants and avoid overhead watering | | | | addition crop rotation with plants that aren't affected |
| especially in the afternoon or evening. Pull out and | | | | by the fungus could help, as you never know if you |
| destroy any effected tomato plants. Make sure you | | | | really removed all the contaminated soil. |