Bacterial Wilt

VC Scott · June 18, 2014

I lost a KBX to what I think is bacterial wilt. This poor plant was half eaten by quail as a seedling and struggled to for awhile. After a month it regained its vigor and was starting to set fruit. Then out of the blue, the flower trusses at the top of the plant and some of the young leaves turned brown. The brown was a different color than Early Blight and it started at the top rather than the bottom. The next day a whole stem was droopy. I cut it out, but the next day the whole plant went down hill.

In removing the plant I found some stems were hollow and at the base of the stem there was a brown ring, as seen in the pictures attached. So far this is the only plant with the problem. I hope the bacteria was introduced during the quail attack and that the surrounding plants are not affected.

Wilt
IMG-20140614-00107.jpg

Brown blotch on new leaves.
IMG-20140614-00109.jpg

Brown ring around stem at ground level.
IMG-20140614-00110.jpg

b54red · June 19, 2014

I hate to say this but that brown ring is a good indication that you could have fusarium wilt. Usually you get some yellowing of lower leaves before the plant wilts with fusarium; but not always. Of course it could be something else since you did have a damaged stem.

Bill

VC Scott · June 19, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

I hate to say this but that brown ring is a good indication that you could have fusarium wilt. Usually you get some yellowing of lower leaves before the plant wilts with fusarium; but not always. Of course it could be something else since you did have a damaged stem.

Bill

You might be right, I hope not. I don't remember any yellowing leaves at the bottom, and the pictures don't show any, but I am pretty diligent about removing yellowing leaves as I have a bit of early blight.

So far it has been a week and no other problems in the garden.

b54red · June 19, 2014

Hopefully if you do have some fusarium it isn't too widespread and it only was able to take advantage of the plant because it was weakened by the damaged stem. I know that KBX is susceptible to fusarium from past experience. I am growing one this year but it is grafted onto a very fusarium resistant rootstock.

Bill

VC Scott · June 25, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Hopefully if you do have some fusarium it isn't too widespread and it only was able to take advantage of the plant because it was weakened by the damaged stem. I know that KBX is susceptible to fusarium from past experience. I am growing one this year but it is grafted onto a very fusarium resistant rootstock.

Bill

Bill, here are some pics of a Dester in the opposite corner of the garden. The symptoms are similar to the KBX. The new growth is browning and the flower buds turned brown and withered away. The Dester also has some yellowing leaves toward the bottom.

The plant was doing great, but never set a single fruit. Now it is heading downhill fast.

At first I thought I had over-fertilized this plant causing some burning on the new growth. Now I am worried that it might be fusarium. What do you think.

IMG-20140625-00117.jpg

IMG-20140625-00118.jpg

IMG-20140625-00119.jpg

b54red · June 27, 2014

That condition at the top of your plant is not indicative of fusarium wilt but the yellowing leaves and the brown coloring inside the stem are. You also have something else going on to cause that stuff at the top. With fusarium the new growth will just wilt and blooms will fall off when it is bad and what fruit you have will be small. Eventually fusarium will usually cause the whole plant to finally wilt and die.

Bill

Heritage · June 28, 2014

Scott,

The Dester looks viral, possibly TSWV. A few years ago I lost a good percentage of plants over here to TSWV and every year I lose a few plants. It all depends on how many infected thrips fly in and it is pretty much a hit-and-miss timing thing. If you notice, the large commercial tomato growers around our area line their fields with alternating bands of yellow and blue sticky tape to trap thrips before they can get to the plants. They also spray, spray, spray...

The KBX looks like bacterial wilt to me, but thats a guess - you can do the ooze test to check/eliminate bacterial wilt.

Good luck, I hope your losses are minimal!

Steve

VC Scott · June 28, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heritage

Scott,

The Dester looks viral, possibly TSWV. A few years ago I lost a good percentage of plants over here to TSWV and every year I lose a few plants. It all depends on how many infected thrips fly in and it is pretty much a hit-and-miss timing thing. If you notice, the large commercial tomato growers around our area line their fields with alternating bands of yellow and blue sticky tape to trap thrips before they can get to the plants. They also spray, spray, spray...

The KBX looks like bacterial wilt to me, but thats a guess - you can do the ooze test to check/eliminate bacterial wilt.

Good luck, I hope your losses are minimal!

Steve

Thanks Steve. I have an avocado grove, so I know what thrips look like. My first year growing tomatoes I worried that the avocado thrip would bother the tomatoes. I did some research and I think I concluded that it was a different type of thrip that hits avocados.

I did see some thrip on a Sungold at the opposite end of the same row as the Dester. There are a couple other plants that look suspicious. The Dester will be pulled and bagged tomorrow. I will keep a close eye on the others. Tomato Russet Mites are attacking the other end of the garden. What will next week bring?

BTW, I met you at the Farmers Market in Leucadia a couple years ago. You gave me advice on pruning my fig tree, which is now producing sweet beautiful fruit. Many thanks.

Heritage · June 28, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by VC Scott

Thanks Steve. I have an avocado grove, so I know what thrips look like. My first year growing tomatoes I worried that the avocado thrip would bother the tomatoes. I did some research and I think I concluded that it was a different type of thrip that hits avocados.

I did see some thrip on a Sungold at the opposite end of the same row as the Dester. There are a couple other plants that look suspicious. The Dester will be pulled and bagged tomorrow. I will keep a close eye on the others. Tomato Russet Mites are attacking the other end of the garden. What will next week bring?

BTW, I met you at the Farmers Market in Leucadia a couple years ago. You gave me advice on pruning my fig tree, which is now producing sweet beautiful fruit. Many thanks.

Scott, maybe you have me mixed-up with Hermitian here at T'Ville? I would like to take credit for your fig harvest but I don't know how to prune a fig tree, and I have never been to the Leucadia Farmer's Market

Anyway, good luck, I hope the diseases and mites take the holiday off!

Steve

VC Scott · June 29, 2014

You are right. I mixed you up with Hermitian. Anyway, the Dester is dust tomorrow.

June 18, 2014	#1
VC Scott Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, CA Posts: 352	Bacterial Wilt I lost a KBX to what I think is bacterial wilt. This poor plant was half eaten by quail as a seedling and struggled to for awhile. After a month it regained its vigor and was starting to set fruit. Then out of the blue, the flower trusses at the top of the plant and some of the young leaves turned brown. The brown was a different color than Early Blight and it started at the top rather than the bottom. The next day a whole stem was droopy. I cut it out, but the next day the whole plant went down hill. In removing the plant I found some stems were hollow and at the base of the stem there was a brown ring, as seen in the pictures attached. So far this is the only plant with the problem. I hope the bacteria was introduced during the quail attack and that the surrounding plants are not affected. Wilt IMG-20140614-00107.jpg Brown blotch on new leaves. IMG-20140614-00109.jpg Brown ring around stem at ground level. IMG-20140614-00110.jpg

June 19, 2014	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I hate to say this but that brown ring is a good indication that you could have fusarium wilt. Usually you get some yellowing of lower leaves before the plant wilts with fusarium; but not always. Of course it could be something else since you did have a damaged stem. Bill

June 27, 2014	#6
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	That condition at the top of your plant is not indicative of fusarium wilt but the yellowing leaves and the brown coloring inside the stem are. You also have something else going on to cause that stuff at the top. With fusarium the new growth will just wilt and blooms will fall off when it is bad and what fruit you have will be small. Eventually fusarium will usually cause the whole plant to finally wilt and die. Bill

June 28, 2014	#7
Heritage Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,255	Scott, The Dester looks viral, possibly TSWV. A few years ago I lost a good percentage of plants over here to TSWV and every year I lose a few plants. It all depends on how many infected thrips fly in and it is pretty much a hit-and-miss timing thing. If you notice, the large commercial tomato growers around our area line their fields with alternating bands of yellow and blue sticky tape to trap thrips before they can get to the plants. They also spray, spray, spray... The KBX looks like bacterial wilt to me, but thats a guess - you can do the ooze test to check/eliminate bacterial wilt. Good luck, I hope your losses are minimal! Steve

June 29, 2014	#10
VC Scott Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, CA Posts: 352	You are right. I mixed you up with Hermitian. Anyway, the Dester is dust tomorrow.