Diseases of Tomato

Diseases of Tomato

Damping off: Pythium aphanidermatum

Symptoms

Damping off of tomato occurs in two stages, i.e. the pre-emergence and the post-emergence phase.
In the pre-emergence the phase the seedlings are killed just before they reach the soil surface.
The young radical and the plumule are killed and there is complete rotting of the seedlings.
The post-emergence phase is characterized by the infection of the young, juvenile tissues of the collar at the ground level.
The infected tissues become soft and water soaked.
The seedlings topple over or collapse.

Mode of spread and survival

All the causal organisms are soil inhabitants and they build up in soil with the available hosts.
Generally these pathogens have wide host range.

Management

Used raised seed bed.
Provide light, but frequent irrigation for better drainage.
Drench with Copper oxychloride 0.2% or Bordeaux mixture 1%. Seed treatment with fungal culture Trichoderma viride (4 g/kg of seed) or Thiram (3 g/kg of seed) is the only preventive measure to control the pre-emergence damping off.
Spray 0.2% Metalaxyl when there is cloudy weather

Fusarium Wilt: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici

Symptom

The first symptom of the disease is clearing of the veinlets and chlorosis of the leaves.
The younger leaves may die in succession and the entire may wilt and die in a course of few days.
Soon the petiole and the leaves droop and wilt.
In young plants, symptom consists of clearing of vein let and dropping of petioles.
In field, yellowing of the lower leaves first and affected leaflets wilt and die.
The symptoms continue in subsequent leaves.
At later stage, browning of vascular system occurs.
Plants become stunted and die.

Pathogen

Mycelium is septate and hyaline.
They produce macro and micro conidia.
Micro conidia are one celled, hyaline, ovoid to ellipsoid.
Two races of pathogen have been identified.

Mode of spread and survival

The fungus is seed borne and soil borne.
The fungus survives in the soil as chlamydospores or as saprophytically growing mycelium in infected crop debris for more than 10 years.
One of the chief methods of its distribution is by seedlings raised in infected soil.
Wind borne spores, surface drainage water and agricultural implements also help in distribution of the pathogen from field to field.

Management

The affected plants should be removed and destroyed.
Spot drench with Carbendazim (0.1%).
Crop rotation with a non-host crop such as cereals.

Early Blight : Alternaria solani

Symptoms

This is a common disease of tomato occurring on the foliage at any stage of the growth.
The fungus attacks the foliage causing characteristic leaf spots and blight.
Early blight is first observed on the plants as small, black lesions mostly on the older foliage.
Spots enlarge, and by the time they are one-fourth inch in diameter or larger, concentric rings in a bull’s eye pattern can be seen in the center of the diseased area.
Tissue surrounding the spots may turn yellow.
If high temperature and humidity occur at this time, much of the foliage is killed.
Lesions on the stems are similar to those on leaves, sometimes girdling the plant if they occur near the soil line.
Transplants showing infection by the late blight fungus often die when set in the field.
The fungus also infects the fruit, generally through the calyx or stem attachment.
Lesions attain considerable size, usually involving nearly the entire fruit; concentric rings are also present on the fruit.

Pathogen

Mycelium is septate, branched, light brown which become darker with age.
Conidiophores are dark colored.
Conidia are beaked, muriform, dark colored and borne singly.

Mode of spread and survival

The pathogen is spread by wind and rain splashes.
Under dry conditions it survives in infected plant debris in the soil for upto three years and is also seed borne.

Management

Removal and destruction of crop debris.
Practicing crop rotation helps to minimize the disease incidence.
Spray the crop with Mancozeb 0.2 % for effective disease control.

Septoria Leaf Spot:Septoria lycopersici

Symptom

The plant may be attacked at any stage of its growth.
The disease is characterized by numerous, small, grey, circular leaf spots having dark border.

Pathogen

Mycelium is septate, branched, hyaline when young and darkens with age.
Pycnidia are erumpent.
Pycnidiospores are filiform, hyaline and septate.

Mode of spread and survival

The pathogen is spread by wind and rain splashes, insects and on the hands and clothings of tomato pickers.
It survives from one season to the next on infested crop debris and also on solanaceous weeds.
The fungus also survives on or in the seed.
Seed stocks contaminated with spores produce infected seedlings.

Management

Removal and destruction of the affected plant parts.
Seed treatment with Thiram or Dithane M-45 (2 g/kg seed) is useful in checking seed borne infection.
In the field spraying with Mancozeb 0.2 % effectively controls the disease.

Bacterial wilt: Burkholderia solanacearum

Symptom

This is one of the most serious diseases of tomato crop.
Relatively high soil moisture and soil temperature favour disease development.
Characteristic symptoms of bacterial wilt are the rapid and complete wilting of normal grown up plants.
Lower leaves may drop before wilting.
Pathogen is mostly confined to vascular region; in advantage cases, it may invade the cortex and pith and cause yellow brown discolouration of tissues.
Infected plant parts when cut and immersed in clear water, a white streak of bacterial ooze is seen coming out from cut ends.

Pathogen

The bacterium is gram negative, rod shaped often occurs in pairs, motile with 1 – 4 flagella.The optimum temperature for growth is 30 – 37˚C.

Mode of spread and survival

The bacterium survives in soil and they spread through irrigation water and by transplanting of infected seedlings.
The bacterium survives for 3 years in fallow and for a unlimited period in cultivated land.
Chilli, egg plant, grount nut, potato and tobacco are alternative hostswhich help it to survive between tomato crops.

Management

Avoid damage to seedling while transplanting.
Apply bleaching powder @ 10kg/ha.
Crop rotations, viz., cowpea-maize-cabbage, okra-cowpea-maize, maize- cowpea-maize and finger millet-egg plant are reported effective in reducing bacterial wilt of tomato.

Bacterial Leaf Spot : Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

Symptom

Moist weather and splattering rains are conducive to disease development.
Most outbreaks of the disease can be traced back to heavy rainstorms that occur in the area.
Infected leaves show small, brown, water soaked, circular spots surrounded with yellowish halo.
On older plants the leaflet infection is mostly on older leaves and may cause serious defoliation.
The most striking symptoms are on the green fruit.
Small, water-soaked spots first appear which later become raised and enlarge until they are one-eighth to one-fourth inch in diameter.
Centers of these lesions become irregular, light brown and slightly sunken with a rough, scabby surface.
Ripe fruits are not susceptible to the disease.
Surface of the seed becomes contaminated with the bacteria, remaining on the seed surface for some time.
The organism survives in alternate hosts, on volunteer tomato plants and on infected plant debris.

Tomato Leaf Spot

Pathogen

The bacterium is gram negative, short rod shaped and has a single, polar flagellum.
Capsules are formed.

Mode of spread and survival

The pathogen survives in the diseased plant debris, volunteer plants.
It is seed borne.
The bacterium enters through stomata or injuries and lenticels.
Secondary spread through rain splashes.
Disease spreads to new areas through infected seeds and diseased transplants.

Management

Disease-free seed and seedlings should always be used and the crop should be rotated with non-host crops so as to avoid last years crop residue.
Seed treatment with mercuric chloride (1:1000) is also recommended for control of disease.
Spraying with a combination of copper and organic fungicides in a regular preventative spray program at 5 to 10 day intervals or Spraying with Agrimycin-100 (100 ppm) thrice at 10 days intervals effectively controls the disease.

Mosaic: Tomato mosaic virus (TMV)

Symptom

The disease is characterized by light and day green mottling on the leaves often accompanied by wilting of young leaves in sunny days when plants first become infected.
The leaflets of affected leaves are usually distorted, puckered and smaller than normal.
Sometimes the leaflets become indented resulting in “fern leaf” symptoms.
The affected plant appears stunted, pale green and spindly.
The virus is spread by contact with clothes, hand of working labour, touching of infected plants with healthy ones, plant debris and implements.

Pathogen

Virus paricles are rod shaped, not enveloped, usually straight and thermal inactivation point is 85 – 90˚C.

Mode of spread and survival

The virus is seed borne and upto 94% of seeds may contain the virus.
The virus infection occurs during transplanting It is readily transmissible.
Many solanaceous plants are susceptible to tomato mosaic virus.
The virus is spread easily by man and implements in cultural operations or by animals and by leaf contact.

Management

Seeds from disease free healthy plants should be selected for sowing.
Soaking of the seeds in a solution of Trisodium Phosphate (90 g/litre of water) a day before sowing helps to reduce the disease incidence.
The seeds should be thoroughly rinsed and dried in shade.
In the nursery all the infected plants should be removed carefully and destroyed.
Seedlings with infected with the viral disease should not be used for transplanting.
Crop rotation with crops other than tobacco, potato, chilli, capsicum, brinjal, etc. should be undertaken.

Leaf curl: Tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV)

Symptom

Leaf curl disease is characterized by severe stunting of the plants with downward rolling and crinkling of the leaves.
The newly emerging leaves exhibit slight yellow colouration and later they also show curling symptoms.
Older leaves become leathery and brittle.
The nodes and internodes are significantly reduced in size.
The infected plants look pale and produce more lateral branches giving a bushy appearance.
The infected plants remain stunted.

Pathogen

The virus particles are 80nm in diameter.

Mode of spread and survival

It is neither seed nor sap transmissible.
But seeds from fresh fruits having infection may have the virus on the seed coat.
The virus is transmitted by white fly, Bemisia tabaci and grafting.
Even a single viruliferous insect is able to transmit the virus.

Management

Keep yellow sticky traps @ 12/ha to monitor the white fly.
Raise barrier crops-cereals around the field.
Removal of weed host.
Protected nursery in net house or green house.
Spray Imidachloprid 0.05 % or Dimethoate 0.05% @ 15, 25, 45 days after transplanting to control vector.

Spotted wilt: Tomato spotted wilt disease (TSWV), Groundnut bud necrosis virus

Symptom

It causes streaking of the leaves, stems and fruits.
Numerous small, dark, circular spots appear on younger leaves.
Leaves may have a bronzed appearance and later turn dark brown and wither.
Fruits show numerous spots about one-half inch in diameter with concentric, circular markings.
On ripe fruit, these markings are alternate bands of red and yellow.

Pathogen

It is isometric particles of 70 – 90nm diameter.
Thermal inactivation point is 40˚C.

Mode of spread and survival

The spotted wilt virus is transmitted through thrips (Thrips tabaci, Frankliniella schultzi and F. occidentalis).

Management

The affected plants should be removed and destroyed.
Alternate or collateral hosts harboring the virus have to be removed.
Raise barrier crops – Sorghum, Maize, Bajra 5-6 rows around the field before planting tomato.
Spray Imidachloprid 0.05% or any systemic insecticide to control the vector.

Gray Mould: Botrytis cinerea

Symptoms

Lesion – a watery area with a light brown or tan-colored central region.
Converted into a soft, watery mass within a few days.
Skin is broken, the grayish mycelium and spore clusters develop within a few hours.
Halo forms around the point of entry -small whitish rings approximately – develop on young green fruit.
“Ghost spots” are usually single rings but may be solid white spots; the center of which contain dark-brown specks.

Pathogen

Mycelium is septate and branched, hyaline but become dark in color upon age.
Conidiophores are branched and bear conidia at the apex.
Conidia are continuous or one septate, oblong and dark.

Mode of spread and survival

High relative humidities are necessary for prolific spore production.
Optimum temperatures for infection are between 65° and 75° F (18° and 24° C), and infection can occur within 5 hours.
High temperatures, above 82° F (28° C), suppress growth and spore production.

Management

Spraying with Bordeaux mixture 1.0 % or mancozeb 0.2% is helpful in reducing the disease.
Resistant varieties like Vetomold may be grown in area’s where disease appears in an endemic form.
Eurocross varities like Antincold, LMRI and Sapsford’s No.1 are resistant.

Early Blight : Alternaria solani

Symptoms

The fruit become infected-through the calyx or stem attachment, either in the green or ripe stage.
Concentric ring present on the fruit surface.
Appear leathery and may be covered by a velvety mass of black spores.
Infected fruit frequently drop, and losses of 50% of the immature fruit may occur.

Pathogen

Mycelium is septate, branched, light brown which become darker with age.
Conidiophores are dark coloured. Conidia are beaked, muriform, dark colored and borne singly.
In each conidium 5 – 10transverse and a few longitudinal septa are present.

Mode of spread and survival

The pathogen is spread by wind and rain splashes.
Under dry conditions it survives in infected plant debris in the soil for upto three years and is also seed borne.

Management

Disease free seeds should be used for sowing.
Seeds soaked in thiram 0.2% at 30˚C for 24h gives better protection.
Seed treatment with thiram 2g/ kg gives good protection against seed borne infection.
Three sprayings with difolatan 0.2% or mancozeb at fortnightly interval prevent the spread of the disease.
Infected plant debris should be removed.
Three year rotation with non solanaceous crop is recommended.

Bacterial Soft Rot and Hollow Stem: Erwinia carotovora pv. carotovora

Symptoms

Fruit -soft watery decay of fruit, starting at one or more points, as very small spots.
Enlarge-very rapidly until the entire fruit -soft watery mass.
Pathogen liquefies fruit tissue by breaking down the pectate “glue” that holds plant cells together Leakage-internal collapse resembling a shriveled water balloon.
Bacteria -single-celled – rapidly multiply and spread-in water. During wet weather and High humidity, Heavy rain fall or irrigation.
Warm temperatures in the 73 – 95 F. range

gray mold on tomato Tomato Phytophthora