Yellow spots on leaves

giblet · January 4, 2017

I have a yellow Corleone plant in a container that has started showing yellow spots on the leaves.

I suspect it might be too much water or a nutritional problem, but I'm new to diagnosing so I wanted to request a second opinion.

gorbelly · January 4, 2017

What do the undersides of the affected leaves look like?

And are the newer leaves affected at all?

giblet · January 4, 2017

This is only on the older leaves, the new leaves look fine. The undersides of the affected leaves look normal, although I did see two whiteflies during my inspection!

KarenO · January 4, 2017

Closeup would help. Sucking insects is my guess

giblet · January 4, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenO

Closeup would help. Sucking insects is my guess

Here are some more close-up photos, this is the best I could do with my camera! I've also included one of the new growth of the plant, which looks healthy to me. I don't think this one is getting enough sun so I am going to move it to a sunnier location.

#5 Corleone in container album

Ricky Shaw · January 4, 2017

This is only on the older leaves...

Nutritional deficiency often shows up in this way, I believe AKMark pointed it out to me. But here's the best short piece I've seen on it, the guy is talking about corn, but you can see how it applies. Maybe it's your problem, maybe not, but it's worthwhile info. Good luck.

http://www.cropnutrition.com/deficie...t-deficiencies

“When you look at the big three — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — all of their nutrient deficiency symptoms will show up first in the lower leaves of the plant,” explains Clover.

“For nitrogen, typically you will see yellowing starting on those lower leaves, from the midrib in corn, and working its way outward on the leaf. It looks like a lack of chlorophyll — turning light green to yellow,” Clover says. “Phosphorus is a little different. There can be multiple symptoms. Early on, it can stunt plant growth, and it can also be seen in purpling of the leaf. The purpling is actually an accumulation of anthocyanin within the plant leaves.”

“Potassium deficiency can look a lot like nitrogen deficiency, except that it starts on the outer leaf margins and works its way in,” says Clover. “The coloring is very similar [to nitrogen deficiency]; you have chlorosis, which is yellowing, or even necrosis — the dead spots. Unlike nitrogen, this condition first appears on the outside margins of the leaf and works its way in.”

KarenO · January 4, 2017

Make this simple and google photos of whitefly damage on Tomato leaves.
Interveinal yellow spots in an early case. This will get worse if you don't deal with the whitefly. The lower leaves have been there longer for the whiteflies to feed on.
Nutritional deficiencies can cause interveinal yellowing but not typically in a spotted pattern.
KarenO

gorbelly · January 4, 2017

If this is nutritional deficiency, it's more likely to be the start of mild magnesium deficiency, IMO, which sometimes starts as what looks like spots but then becomes interveinal.

But that looks more like pest or mildew.

Powdery mildew and leaf mold often look like that when it starts, so I'd be on the lookout for white powdery spots on the surface of the leaf (PM) or brown, fuzzy spots on the bottom surface of the leaf (leaf mold).

But overall, I agree with KarenO. Whiteflies have already been seen, and the start of sap-sucking pest damage can look like that.

EDIT: Missed the newest batch of photos. Again agree that it's most likely whitefly damage.

If it were PM or LM, there would be signs of sporulation at this point on the more affected leaves, and there aren't.

Cole_Robbie · January 4, 2017

If you have whiteflies, you're going to find out soon. The population will spiral upward exponentially. You should be able to see little white things flying around when the plant is disturbed. Eventually, a black sooty mold will grow on the excrement they leave behind, which is usually how they end up killing plants, provided they don't infect it with a virus first.

giblet · January 4, 2017

Robbie I saw two whiteflies on the plant yesterday, so I already know I have them. I live in a tropical climate (zone 13) so they are impossible to get rid of. I don't think it's going to get worse, though. I'm actually seeing fewer than I was a few months ago.

Thanks gorbelly and KarenO for your suggestions. I have a lot of sap-sucking damage on my peppers as well, but not sure if it's thrips or whiteflies. I will apply neem and soap to this tomato and hope for the best.

It doesn't seem to be affecting my other plants, but I'll keep posting photos of those and see what you think. I started with 20 tomato plants and I'm down to about 14, and it seems like each one has a completely unique problem! (See my other thread here...)

I have some new seedlings going now and hopefully they will do better because I've learned so much since the last batch!

Cole_Robbie · January 4, 2017

Interesting. The whitefly species that gives me so many problems is an invasive species from Asia. Maybe you have the necessary natural predators to control them.

gorbelly · January 4, 2017

I don't see any eggs, nymphs, etc. in those photos, so it doesn't look like it's inevitable that they'll get out of control. If you have enough beneficial predators, intervening with pesticides may make things worse and won't do much to adults unless you use something systemic. Look carefully for nymphs and eggs. If you don't see any, I might just set up a bunch of sticky traps to catch the adults at this point. That'll help you keep track of numbers so that you can get more aggressive if you see them getting more numerous.

giblet · January 5, 2017

Okay, so I think I spoke too soon. There aren't a lot of whiteflies on this particularly plant, but there are a lot on my tomato and pepper seedlings. I've sprayed with neem and dishsoap but I'm not sure if that will do much. I can put up sticky traps tomorrow, but my garden is huge, so I am not sure if that will help either.

I searched for 'whitefly damage tomato leaves' but couldn't actually find photos of this. KarenO if you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it. I am wondering if I have more whitefly damage than I realized.

Cole_Robbie · January 5, 2017

Malathion is the standard chemical pesticide for whiteflies. I use a bio-insecticide called Met52. I'm not sure what your options are, in regard to what is available in your area.

gorbelly · January 6, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by giblet

I searched for 'whitefly damage tomato leaves' but couldn't actually find photos of this. KarenO if you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it. I am wondering if I have more whitefly damage than I realized.

The problem with searching for this is that there are almost never photos of the early stages of damage. Only how the damage looks when it's more severe and can be much more easily identified.

This page has photos of mature and immature whiteflies of many different species. Maybe it will help you identify the species so that you know what to look for in terms of eggs and nymphs: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7401.html

I would start examining the undersides of leaves for nymphs and eggs (a magnifying glass will be helpful, since eggs and young nymphs are really tiny). If you see not too many and see lots of signs of beneficial predator activity, that will give you a different set of considerations than if you see a lot of eggs and nymphs and not many signs of beneficial predators.

Not really sure which predators you might have in your location. This Australian blog has good pics of many insects, including beneficial predators, which may be closer to what you'll see around you (although many are common throughout the world, including North America). It also has pics of parasitized whitefly pupae, etc.

January 4, 2017	#1
giblet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Cambodia Posts: 25	Yellow spots on leaves I have a yellow Corleone plant in a container that has started showing yellow spots on the leaves. I suspect it might be too much water or a nutritional problem, but I'm new to diagnosing so I wanted to request a second opinion.

January 4, 2017	#3
giblet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Cambodia Posts: 25	This is only on the older leaves, the new leaves look fine. The undersides of the affected leaves look normal, although I did see two whiteflies during my inspection! Last edited by giblet; January 4, 2017 at 02:47 AM.

January 4, 2017	#7
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	Make this simple and google photos of whitefly damage on Tomato leaves. Interveinal yellow spots in an early case. This will get worse if you don't deal with the whitefly. The lower leaves have been there longer for the whiteflies to feed on. Nutritional deficiencies can cause interveinal yellowing but not typically in a spotted pattern. KarenO Last edited by KarenO; January 4, 2017 at 11:40 AM.

January 4, 2017	#8
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	If this is nutritional deficiency, it's more likely to be the start of mild magnesium deficiency, IMO, which sometimes starts as what looks like spots but then becomes interveinal. But that looks more like pest or mildew. Powdery mildew and leaf mold often look like that when it starts, so I'd be on the lookout for white powdery spots on the surface of the leaf (PM) or brown, fuzzy spots on the bottom surface of the leaf (leaf mold). But overall, I agree with KarenO. Whiteflies have already been seen, and the start of sap-sucking pest damage can look like that. EDIT: Missed the newest batch of photos. Again agree that it's most likely whitefly damage. If it were PM or LM, there would be signs of sporulation at this point on the more affected leaves, and there aren't. Last edited by gorbelly; January 4, 2017 at 03:21 PM.

January 5, 2017	#13
giblet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Cambodia Posts: 25	Okay, so I think I spoke too soon. There aren't a lot of whiteflies on this particularly plant, but there are a lot on my tomato and pepper seedlings. I've sprayed with neem and dishsoap but I'm not sure if that will do much. I can put up sticky traps tomorrow, but my garden is huge, so I am not sure if that will help either. I searched for 'whitefly damage tomato leaves' but couldn't actually find photos of this. KarenO if you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it. I am wondering if I have more whitefly damage than I realized. Last edited by giblet; January 5, 2017 at 12:01 PM.

January 4, 2017	#6
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	This is only on the older leaves... Nutritional deficiency often shows up in this way, I believe AKMark pointed it out to me. But here's the best short piece I've seen on it, the guy is talking about corn, but you can see how it applies. Maybe it's your problem, maybe not, but it's worthwhile info. Good luck. http://www.cropnutrition.com/deficie...t-deficiencies “When you look at the big three — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — all of their nutrient deficiency symptoms will show up first in the lower leaves of the plant,” explains Clover. “For nitrogen, typically you will see yellowing starting on those lower leaves, from the midrib in corn, and working its way outward on the leaf. It looks like a lack of chlorophyll — turning light green to yellow,” Clover says. “Phosphorus is a little different. There can be multiple symptoms. Early on, it can stunt plant growth, and it can also be seen in purpling of the leaf. The purpling is actually an accumulation of anthocyanin within the plant leaves.” “Potassium deficiency can look a lot like nitrogen deficiency, except that it starts on the outer leaf margins and works its way in,” says Clover. “The coloring is very similar [to nitrogen deficiency]; you have chlorosis, which is yellowing, or even necrosis — the dead spots. Unlike nitrogen, this condition first appears on the outside margins of the leaf and works its way in.”

January 4, 2017	#9
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	If you have whiteflies, you're going to find out soon. The population will spiral upward exponentially. You should be able to see little white things flying around when the plant is disturbed. Eventually, a black sooty mold will grow on the excrement they leave behind, which is usually how they end up killing plants, provided they don't infect it with a virus first.