Curly top virus?

chancethegardener · April 13, 2012

My tomato plants have been struggling with something. I first thought it was nutrient deficiency but I think it is more than that. Can somebody let me know if the problem shown in the pictures curly top virus or not? If so, I will have to toss the plants

.

b54red · April 13, 2012

I hate to say this; but the second photo looks like TSWV. If that is what it is then that plant is a goner. The good thing about TSWV is it seems to hit random plants and in my experience doesn't spread too bad. The problem is the thrips that land on the plants and transmit it to them seem to come and go. Some years they infect a good portion of my tomato plants and other years only a few. I noticed a lot of them on some of my tomatoes a few days ago. I will not be surprised when some of my plants come down with it in the next few weeks. It seems to happen every spring around here.

chancethegardener · April 13, 2012

This is so frustrating. The plant in the first picture is Rosso Sicilian and the one in the second picture is Principe Borghese. Until recently, they were extremely happy, lush, and they had lots of flowers on them. Principe Borghese has currently many fruits on it. So fruits are gone too?

The problem is that I have a limited space and I can only grow one of almost each variety. It looks like my First Pick and Moskvich are also infected. And you are right some plants next to the infected ones look perfectly healthy.

ginger2778 · April 13, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

This is so frustrating. The plant in the first picture is Rosso Sicilian and the one in the second picture is Principe Borghese. Until recently, they were extremely happy, lush, and they had lots of flowers on them. Principe Borghese has currently many fruits on it. So fruits are gone too?

The problem is that I have a limited space and I can only grow one of almost each variety. It looks like my First Pick and Moskvich are also infected. And you are right some plants next to the infected ones look perfectly healthy.

It's not TYLCV, it looks alot more like TSWV. I have it too, along with TYLCV. Spotted wilt comes from thrips passing the infection from one to the next, Yellow leaf curl comes from the silverleaf whitefly( called that because it turns cabbage leafs silver). I am in Florida too, and we all have a problem with both of these, especially if there has not been enough cold weather to kill them. South Texas and California are having the problem too. Neem oil, permethrins, malathion, insecticidal soap, ladybugs all kill both types of bugs mentioned, but it wont save the plant once infected.
PULL UP AND THROW AWAY THE INFECTED PLANTS or other plants will be infected. (That's the heartbreak of it).
If you decide to keep the fruit, which I don't think it will live long enough to produce, the virus will make them ripen only in parts, and some parts wont ever ripen, so the fruit is ruined anyway.
Sorry for this bad news

chancethegardener · April 13, 2012

ginger and b54, I pulled the plants. Since this is not soil-born, I don't need to throw away the soil, right? Also some time ago I posted another picture in the photo gallery section. Could you please look at it and let me know what kind of disease, if not nutrient deficiency (maybe Mg?), this is?

chancethegardener · April 13, 2012

Also, do thrips keep living on the diseased plant or do they migrate to somewhere else? In other words, are they still in my garden?

Crandrew · April 13, 2012

http://www.tomatospottedwiltinfo.org...-Riley2011.pdf

Good luck

sad to see the healthy plants get hit. I had it last year on one of my plants.

Tracydr · April 13, 2012

I was at my mother's for Easter Sunday. Had to bring a bunch of new plants and check her plants. She had just a few white flies a couple of weeks ago and now she has a virus. We had to pull all her beautiful plants and plant new.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much variety left so she only got a few to choose from. But, at least we had a replacement for every tomato.
The real question is will they have time to set fruit before heat sets, being planted this late?

desertlzbn · April 13, 2012

Check for russet mites, that is what I had earlier, now the plants look much better.

Tracydr · April 13, 2012

They didn't look like they had any mites at all. Just deformed, tiny, curled leaves. Old growth was normal, new growth very abnormal. It wasn't like leaf curl from stress, either.
We yanked them, since I was pretty sure it was viral. I had two with something similar last year and they did nothing but sit there until I finally pulled them.
Oh, btw- thanks for the sulphur tip on mites! I got some ( it's so cheap, too!) and my nearly dead new climbing roses have new growth already! They were bald little sticks just three days ago!

Tracydr · April 13, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

My tomato plants have been struggling with something. I first thought it was nutrient deficiency but I think it is more than that. Can somebody let me know if the problem shown in the pictures curly top virus or not? If so, I will have to toss the plants

.

Can you show a closeup of those spotted leaves? Are they bronze? Now that, might be mites.

desertlzbn · April 14, 2012

Be careful with the sulfur it will burn you plants if it gets too hot out

ginger2778 · April 14, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

ginger and b54, I pulled the plants. Since this is not soil-born, I don't need to throw away the soil, right? Also some time ago I posted another picture in the photo gallery section. Could you please look at it and let me know what kind of disease, if not nutrient deficiency (maybe Mg?), this is?

That is TYLCV, caused by the silverleaf whitefly. I called our local USDA and spoke to one of the PHDs there. She said it only takes one whitefly feeding on your helpless tomato plant for 15 minutes to transmit the virus

. Has to be pulled up immediately and start right away on the control spray.
I use neem oil with a little soap in the mix, and apply weekly, but extremely thoroughly and especially on the underside of the leaves. Also make sure you spray only early morning or late afternoon, or the oil will give the leaves a severe sunburn.
It can be successfully managed. I do it right from the second wek outside now, and the prevention seems to be the trick. Good luck

ginger2778 · April 14, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Also, do thrips keep living on the diseased plant or do they migrate to somewhere else? In other words, are they still in my garden?

They do migrate so I am sorry but yes.

chancethegardener · April 14, 2012

Crandrew, thanks for the link. Ginger, thanks for the information. I applied some OMRI listed Safer brand spray on them today (it has Pyrethrin in it). With "migration", I meant if they leave the garden after they feed the first time and don't come back within the same season.

Also, what are the ratios for the mix you use?

April 13, 2012	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I hate to say this; but the second photo looks like TSWV. If that is what it is then that plant is a goner. The good thing about TSWV is it seems to hit random plants and in my experience doesn't spread too bad. The problem is the thrips that land on the plants and transmit it to them seem to come and go. Some years they infect a good portion of my tomato plants and other years only a few. I noticed a lot of them on some of my tomatoes a few days ago. I will not be surprised when some of my plants come down with it in the next few weeks. It seems to happen every spring around here.

April 13, 2012	#3
chancethegardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: WV Posts: 604	This is so frustrating. The plant in the first picture is Rosso Sicilian and the one in the second picture is Principe Borghese. Until recently, they were extremely happy, lush, and they had lots of flowers on them. Principe Borghese has currently many fruits on it. So fruits are gone too? The problem is that I have a limited space and I can only grow one of almost each variety. It looks like my First Pick and Moskvich are also infected. And you are right some plants next to the infected ones look perfectly healthy.

April 13, 2012	#7
Crandrew Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: asdf Posts: 1,202	http://www.tomatospottedwiltinfo.org...-Riley2011.pdf Good luck sad to see the healthy plants get hit. I had it last year on one of my plants.

April 13, 2012	#8
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I was at my mother's for Easter Sunday. Had to bring a bunch of new plants and check her plants. She had just a few white flies a couple of weeks ago and now she has a virus. We had to pull all her beautiful plants and plant new. Unfortunately, I didn't have much variety left so she only got a few to choose from. But, at least we had a replacement for every tomato. The real question is will they have time to set fruit before heat sets, being planted this late?

April 13, 2012	#9
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	Check for russet mites, that is what I had earlier, now the plants look much better.

April 14, 2012	#12
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	Be careful with the sulfur it will burn you plants if it gets too hot out