Russo Sicilian Togetta....ok or diseased?

O.P. Mater · June 6, 2010

I have 6 Russo's planted along with several other varieties.....36 total in the same area of the garden. The Russo's all look very different and I do not know if it is the variety or if they are diseased. All were started from seed and under the same growing conditions. If you have grown these, please let me know if yours looked like these plants. I ordered the seeds just to try them but after looking at some of the pictures here, I am wondering if they have a problem and I need to remove them to save the others? I apologize if I have posted in the wrong thread. Thanks very much for your time.

dice · June 7, 2010

It looks like a reaction to the weather. If it were some
chemical or mineral imbalance in the soil, it would not
likely be restricted to only one variety out of several.

There are diseases that are seed-borne, that could have
been in all of the seeds of a particular seed packet, but
those pictures do not particularly look like any of them.

O.P. Mater · June 7, 2010

It was reassuring to read your post. We lost most of our main tomato crop to flooding and I am a bit anxious for the remaining plants. This group of plants were started about 3 weeks later than the main crop and the varieties are all new to me. We have been keeping them sprayed with a copper based fungicide to prevent blight as the rain just keeps coming. Today is a sunny day here in SC so I am off to the garden to do battle with the morning glories......:-) Thanks so much!

dice · June 7, 2010

Even if the sun comes back, the leaves may not unroll, but
that does not mean that the plant will fail to produce fruit,
etc. They could do that in response to the fungicide, but
it is unlikely that only that one variety would be so sensitive.
If the chemical is strong enough to cause a reaction like that,
it would likely cause it on most of the different tomato
cultivars that you have out there.

O.P. Mater · June 7, 2010

Thanks for sharing this information. I appreciate it very much.

**Mischka** · June 9, 2010

Leaf curl can also be a sign of an aphid infestation. Did you take a very close look at the undersides of the leaves? Another tell-tale sign may be ants, since they actually tend to the aphids and move them around, much like a farmer moving livestock from pasture to pasture. Aphid produce honeydew from their alimentary canals that ants feed on.

I keep a magnifying lens handy whenever I'm in the garden because aphids are small and mites are downright tiny; the size of this period <.>

More on different causes of tomato leaf curl, from an online article:

Don't be alarmed if you discover curled-up leaves on your otherwise healthy-looking tomato plants. Leaf curl, also called leaf roll, usually does not affect the quantity or quality of the tomatoes, according to the University of Illinois Extension service. Causes of leaf curl can include a physiological condition, exposure to herbicides or a virus affecting the tomato plant. Gardeners can take steps to prevent leaf curl, but the measures depend the source of the problem.

Physiological Leaf Curl

Rainy weather combined with cool temperatures can cause tomato plant leaves to curl or roll up on themselves. The condition, known as physiological leaf curl, can also affect seedlings soon after you transplant them outdoors. The problem does not require treatment because it does not inhibit plant growth or harm the fruit, says Judy Sedbrook, Colorado master gardener with the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Another type of physiological leaf roll--termed "non-parasitic leaf roll"--occurs in response to over-pruning or lack of water. The leaf curl will usually disappear in a few days, once the plant recovers from pruning or its water supply stabilizes.

Herbicide-Caused Leaf Curl

Tomato plants exposed to herbicides can show signs of leaf curl, and in severe cases, the leaf surface becomes white and the leaf itself turns thick and brittle. The most common herbicidal cause of leaf curl comes from 2,4-D, which is often used to treat lawns or crops for weeds. To minimize tomato plants' exposure to herbicides, never spray your plants with same sprayer that you use on your lawn. Don't use treated grass clippings as mulch around tomato plants. Herbicidal leaf curl can result in a harder-than-normal or misshapen tomato fruit, but unless the exposure to the herbicide is prolonged and severe, most plants will recover, especially if you provide them with frequent watering.

Leaf Curl Virus

Sucking insects like the sweet potato whitefly and aphid transmit a disease known as the tomato yellow leaf curl virus. The condition usually affects tomatoes that grow indoors. Leaves that curl upward occur in the first stages of infection, then the leaves curl downward and become yellow. Since no cures exist for the virus, the best way to prevent yellow leaf curl virus is to control insect infestations and select healthy, insect-free transplants for fruit production.

O.P. Mater · June 10, 2010

I will take a magnifying glass with me in the morning to thoroughly inspect the tomato plants. When I was trying to figure out what happened to them I really gave them the once over, though not with a magnifying glass. I found a few red aphids.....8-10 here and there and sprayed the plants with an insecticidal soap. It is possible that I missed some. I will find out in the morning and woe be unto any that I find......:-)
We had 1/2 inch of rain yesterday afternoon, 1/2 inch of rain this afternoon and the weather report is for severe thunderstorms and heavy rain late tonight. These plants are elevated somewhat from the area that flooded but they are still getting lots of water.
Thanks so much for your ideas and the information explaining the causes of leaf curling. I am grateful for the help and find myself getting more and more interested in tomatoes.......:-)

BlackThumb · June 10, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mischka

Leaf curl can also be a sign of an aphid infestation.

I didn't know that. Ironically just before reading this thread; I was closely examining a tomato plant with leaf curl and found what appears to be aphids. I was suspicious and wondering if there might be a connection between the leaf curl and the aphids.

Thank you very much.

O.P. Mater · June 10, 2010

I only found 4 or 5 aphids on the 6 plants but maybe when I sprayed the insecticidal soap, I killed others that I hadn't noticed? The plants are beginning to bloom and are growing. The older leaves are still curled, yet green. The newest leaves don't seem to be curled and I didn't see any that were yellowing. I left the magnifying glass in the car and will be sure to use it when I check tomorrow

I hope it will turn out to be "physiological leaf curl" due to the very rainy weather we have had along with cool nights earlier in the season. We don't use 2-4 D here and the closest neighbor is about 1/4 mile.....but, it would have affected all of the other tomatoes too.

If this is caused by aphids, will all of the new leaves on the plant become curled? Thanks so much for your help.

danwigz · June 11, 2010

I recently found a cluster of Aphids on one of my plants,
BigleafohnoTV.jpg
and sprayed that plant and nearby ones with an insecticidal soap in case there were others laying in less obvious places. Never hurts to be safer than sorry!.

Danwigz

June 7, 2010	#2
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	It looks like a reaction to the weather. If it were some chemical or mineral imbalance in the soil, it would not likely be restricted to only one variety out of several. There are diseases that are seed-borne, that could have been in all of the seeds of a particular seed packet, but those pictures do not particularly look like any of them. __________________ -- alias

June 7, 2010	#3
O.P. Mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: upstate SC Posts: 147	Thanks Dice.... It was reassuring to read your post. We lost most of our main tomato crop to flooding and I am a bit anxious for the remaining plants. This group of plants were started about 3 weeks later than the main crop and the varieties are all new to me. We have been keeping them sprayed with a copper based fungicide to prevent blight as the rain just keeps coming. Today is a sunny day here in SC so I am off to the garden to do battle with the morning glories......:-) Thanks so much!

June 7, 2010	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Even if the sun comes back, the leaves may not unroll, but that does not mean that the plant will fail to produce fruit, etc. They could do that in response to the fungicide, but it is unlikely that only that one variety would be so sensitive. If the chemical is strong enough to cause a reaction like that, it would likely cause it on most of the different tomato cultivars that you have out there. __________________ -- alias

June 9, 2010	#6
Mischka Tomatoville® Administrator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Bay State Posts: 3,207	Leaf curl can also be a sign of an aphid infestation. Did you take a very close look at the undersides of the leaves? Another tell-tale sign may be ants, since they actually tend to the aphids and move them around, much like a farmer moving livestock from pasture to pasture. Aphid produce honeydew from their alimentary canals that ants feed on. I keep a magnifying lens handy whenever I'm in the garden because aphids are small and mites are downright tiny; the size of this period <.> More on different causes of tomato leaf curl, from an online article: Don't be alarmed if you discover curled-up leaves on your otherwise healthy-looking tomato plants. Leaf curl, also called leaf roll, usually does not affect the quantity or quality of the tomatoes, according to the University of Illinois Extension service. Causes of leaf curl can include a physiological condition, exposure to herbicides or a virus affecting the tomato plant. Gardeners can take steps to prevent leaf curl, but the measures depend the source of the problem. Physiological Leaf Curl Rainy weather combined with cool temperatures can cause tomato plant leaves to curl or roll up on themselves. The condition, known as physiological leaf curl, can also affect seedlings soon after you transplant them outdoors. The problem does not require treatment because it does not inhibit plant growth or harm the fruit, says Judy Sedbrook, Colorado master gardener with the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Another type of physiological leaf roll--termed "non-parasitic leaf roll"--occurs in response to over-pruning or lack of water. The leaf curl will usually disappear in a few days, once the plant recovers from pruning or its water supply stabilizes. Herbicide-Caused Leaf Curl Tomato plants exposed to herbicides can show signs of leaf curl, and in severe cases, the leaf surface becomes white and the leaf itself turns thick and brittle. The most common herbicidal cause of leaf curl comes from 2,4-D, which is often used to treat lawns or crops for weeds. To minimize tomato plants' exposure to herbicides, never spray your plants with same sprayer that you use on your lawn. Don't use treated grass clippings as mulch around tomato plants. Herbicidal leaf curl can result in a harder-than-normal or misshapen tomato fruit, but unless the exposure to the herbicide is prolonged and severe, most plants will recover, especially if you provide them with frequent watering. Leaf Curl Virus Sucking insects like the sweet potato whitefly and aphid transmit a disease known as the tomato yellow leaf curl virus. The condition usually affects tomatoes that grow indoors. Leaves that curl upward occur in the first stages of infection, then the leaves curl downward and become yellow. Since no cures exist for the virus, the best way to prevent yellow leaf curl virus is to control insect infestations and select healthy, insect-free transplants for fruit production. __________________ Mischka One last word of farewell, Dear Master and Mistress. Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also with happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long happy life with you: "Here lies one who loved us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.

June 10, 2010	#7
O.P. Mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: upstate SC Posts: 147	I will take a magnifying glass with me in the morning to thoroughly inspect the tomato plants. When I was trying to figure out what happened to them I really gave them the once over, though not with a magnifying glass. I found a few red aphids.....8-10 here and there and sprayed the plants with an insecticidal soap. It is possible that I missed some. I will find out in the morning and woe be unto any that I find......:-) We had 1/2 inch of rain yesterday afternoon, 1/2 inch of rain this afternoon and the weather report is for severe thunderstorms and heavy rain late tonight. These plants are elevated somewhat from the area that flooded but they are still getting lots of water. Thanks so much for your ideas and the information explaining the causes of leaf curling. I am grateful for the help and find myself getting more and more interested in tomatoes.......:-)

June 11, 2010	#10
danwigz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 150	I recently found a cluster of Aphids on one of my plants, BigleafohnoTV.jpg and sprayed that plant and nearby ones with an insecticidal soap in case there were others laying in less obvious places. Never hurts to be safer than sorry!. Danwigz