Tomato curly top wilt virus

rick9748 · May 29, 2017

This is some bad stuff!!Will ruin a beautiful healthy plant in a few days.Tomato curly top wilt virus; beet leaf hopper lands on your perfectly healthy plant , no matter what you have sprayed on the plant, takes a bite and the plant has the virus.In several days you will see all of the newest tender growth curl up like you are making a fist.Plants stops growing and just sits there doing nothing.
Hopper flies in from anywhere and leaves you a little plague.Do any of you know how to deal with this.Will break your heart to see 6/8 of your beauties with the tops wilting.
Any help or suggestions appreciated.
Thanks
Rick

RJGlew · May 30, 2017

I had it last summer for the first time, and lost at least 75% of what I can typically grow here. The plant becomes a write off above the point where the leafhopper bites the stem. What is below that point remains ok. I ended up cutting off the plants just below the bite level and letting the bottom part continue growing. Some plants had 1 flower brach below the bite, others had none. Also wiped out my entire delphinium garden as well. Sorry I can't offer any help.

rick9748 · May 30, 2017

I am going to try shade cloth over top of each of my cages.Over top & down 2' on cages.Crazy but am going to try something.Only have 30 plants, will see what happens.
Thanks for your reply.
Rick

HoustonHeat · June 10, 2017

I am afraid I have the same problem. My best plant (12 tomatoes) has symptoms but not sure. Top leaves curling a little and color has a purple hue to it. But it is very hot here now > 90 degrees so am hoping its heat. I am also curious if the tomatoes on the plant are still edible or can be used for seed stock since I likely need to destroy it. I will try cutting it back first as RJGlew suggested but I have read the diseased plant now can be used by insects to infect other plant. I have some shade cloth but need to cut it and figure out how to deploy it..

rick9748 · June 12, 2017

Have all plants covered; across top & down 1 foot around concrete reinforcing cage.Have 8/10 plants not effected yet.Will observe and report.
Cut curl off will observe and see what happens.See if new suckers will produce??

HoustonHeat · June 16, 2017

Rick did the covers work? Also do you have pics?

gorbelly · June 16, 2017

Curly top virus has no cure. The plant will not outgrow it. In addition, it can affect a wide variety of plants, including plants in the beet family, the tomato family (eggplants, peppers, tomatillos, ground cherries) and cucurbits (melons, cukes, squash).

If you have a confirmed diagnosis of curly top virus, you should pull those plants and remove them from the garden.

The problem is, in early stages, it can look like many other things, including weather-related stress, mild herbicide exposure, etc.

May 29, 2017	#1
rick9748 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: south carolina Posts: 175	Tomato curly top wilt virus This is some bad stuff!!Will ruin a beautiful healthy plant in a few days.Tomato curly top wilt virus; beet leaf hopper lands on your perfectly healthy plant , no matter what you have sprayed on the plant, takes a bite and the plant has the virus.In several days you will see all of the newest tender growth curl up like you are making a fist.Plants stops growing and just sits there doing nothing. Hopper flies in from anywhere and leaves you a little plague.Do any of you know how to deal with this.Will break your heart to see 6/8 of your beauties with the tops wilting. Any help or suggestions appreciated. Thanks Rick

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May 30, 2017	#2
RJGlew Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 643	I had it last summer for the first time, and lost at least 75% of what I can typically grow here. The plant becomes a write off above the point where the leafhopper bites the stem. What is below that point remains ok. I ended up cutting off the plants just below the bite level and letting the bottom part continue growing. Some plants had 1 flower brach below the bite, others had none. Also wiped out my entire delphinium garden as well. Sorry I can't offer any help.

June 10, 2017	#4
HoustonHeat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Houston Zone 9A Posts: 132	I am afraid I have the same problem. My best plant (12 tomatoes) has symptoms but not sure. Top leaves curling a little and color has a purple hue to it. But it is very hot here now > 90 degrees so am hoping its heat. I am also curious if the tomatoes on the plant are still edible or can be used for seed stock since I likely need to destroy it. I will try cutting it back first as RJGlew suggested but I have read the diseased plant now can be used by insects to infect other plant. I have some shade cloth but need to cut it and figure out how to deploy it..

June 12, 2017	#5
rick9748 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: south carolina Posts: 175	Have all plants covered; across top & down 1 foot around concrete reinforcing cage.Have 8/10 plants not effected yet.Will observe and report. Cut curl off will observe and see what happens.See if new suckers will produce??

June 16, 2017	#6
HoustonHeat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Houston Zone 9A Posts: 132	Rick did the covers work? Also do you have pics?

June 16, 2017	#7
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	Curly top virus has no cure. The plant will not outgrow it. In addition, it can affect a wide variety of plants, including plants in the beet family, the tomato family (eggplants, peppers, tomatillos, ground cherries) and cucurbits (melons, cukes, squash). If you have a confirmed diagnosis of curly top virus, you should pull those plants and remove them from the garden. The problem is, in early stages, it can look like many other things, including weather-related stress, mild herbicide exposure, etc.