What caused this and how do i prevent it?

rubylune · February 19, 2007

Last season the majority of my plants ended up producing tomatoes like this:

I wish i could find a photo of my plants, because a lot of them ended up with black spots and eventually dried up and died.

I've grown tomatoes for quite a while but have never had a season like this.

I got a few different suggestions as to what it was, but after doing some research i'm thinking it was anthracnose?

Last season ('06) started off very cool, then very hot/humid. It was extremely rainy all season long.

Is there anything i can do for this upcoming season to prevent this from happening again?

ETA - i ended up finding a photo of my plant leaves. This photo is from early on in the season, so it doesn't show the extent of the damage.

**carolyn137** · February 20, 2007

Ruby, I've looked at those photos several times trying to make up my mind as to what's being shown.

I think there's more than one problem with the fruits but can't be sure.

Anthracnose is a possibility with the fruit on the right but it's the one in the middle with the area nearest the stem that is not typical of anthracnose at all.

That one looks more like what are called, generally fruit rots, and several different bacteria and fungi can cause them.

The lesions on the leaves that you show I can only make out clearly on the one to the left of center which does look like Bacterial Spot. That pathogen can cause fruit lesions as well, that may also take on the appearance of anthracnose.

Having good air flow around plants helps a lot, and the high heat and humidity you mentioned can also encourage fruit rots.

About the only thing I could suggest would be to spray with a good anti-fungal such as Daconil.

But I do believe that it was something environmental that caused that problem and the chances of it happening again are not high unless the same weather scenario occurs again.

February 19, 2007	#1
rubylune Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: z5b wMI Posts: 13	What caused this and how do i prevent it? Last season the majority of my plants ended up producing tomatoes like this: I wish i could find a photo of my plants, because a lot of them ended up with black spots and eventually dried up and died. I've grown tomatoes for quite a while but have never had a season like this. I got a few different suggestions as to what it was, but after doing some research i'm thinking it was anthracnose? Last season ('06) started off very cool, then very hot/humid. It was extremely rainy all season long. Is there anything i can do for this upcoming season to prevent this from happening again? ETA - i ended up finding a photo of my plant leaves. This photo is from early on in the season, so it doesn't show the extent of the damage.

February 20, 2007	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Ruby, I've looked at those photos several times trying to make up my mind as to what's being shown. I think there's more than one problem with the fruits but can't be sure. Anthracnose is a possibility with the fruit on the right but it's the one in the middle with the area nearest the stem that is not typical of anthracnose at all. That one looks more like what are called, generally fruit rots, and several different bacteria and fungi can cause them. The lesions on the leaves that you show I can only make out clearly on the one to the left of center which does look like Bacterial Spot. That pathogen can cause fruit lesions as well, that may also take on the appearance of anthracnose. Having good air flow around plants helps a lot, and the high heat and humidity you mentioned can also encourage fruit rots. About the only thing I could suggest would be to spray with a good anti-fungal such as Daconil. But I do believe that it was something environmental that caused that problem and the chances of it happening again are not high unless the same weather scenario occurs again. __________________ Carolyn