Black leaves spreading on one plant

[linzelu100]

My plant (Dester) looks healthy other than these three lower leaves I pulled off. There is black marks on the leaves- they remind me of grease marks because they have a bit of see-through appearance and they aren't geometrical, just random blob like marks.

From my research I have found one solution- Late Blight. It doesn't settle with me because I don't have any white fuzz underneath and it's so early! What would cause one plant to have late blight but not the other 100 next to it? So I think it is something else.

No Pest damage other than some flea beetles- which are just on everything here.

I am trying to upload pics, but for some reason I can't always do that on Tomatoville.

Any suggestions? Should I remove this infected plant?

Thanks

[linzelu100]

Here are the pictures of said blotches:

[carolyn137]

I think the question is why only Dester and not the other 100 plants you are growing.

It's not Late Blight, but Late Blight can occur either early OR late in the season.

Thinking of the more common foliage diseases I could make a weak case for perhaps one of them, but that won't help since the spores and bacteria of the common foliage diseases are spread by wind and embedded in raindrops, and would probably infect some of your other plants as well.

So that leaves Dester itself. Did you raise the plants from seed, and if so, from purchased seeds or from traded seeds.

If you bought the plants did you buy any other plants from the same place, and if so, can we assume that none of them were affected.

If it's only the lower leaves that were affected, it could be from splashback, so what else might have been in the soil that could have splashed back?

If only three leaves were affected and no others higher on the plant were affected, at this point I don't think I'd pull it IMO.

Carolyn

[linzelu100]

Carolyn,

I have about 100 plants; I grew 85 myself from seed. Dester was one I grew myself. I have two other dester plants next to this one and they are fine. It definetly could be from splashing back up on the leaves, because I was about a week late getting straw down. The straw is down now.

Also, after closer inspection, the infected plant does have some blackening on upper leaves, just small and not as noticable. The very top leaves have none. When I planted Dester out it was a very stressed plant with lots of purple under the leaves and even some on top. It was crowded and I didnt plant it up soon enough.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by linzelu100

Carolyn,

I have about 100 plants; I grew 85 myself from seed. Dester was one I grew myself. I have two other dester plants next to this one and they are fine. It definetly could be from splashing back up on the leaves, because I was about a week late getting straw down. The straw is down now.

Also, after closer inspection, the infected plant does have some blackening on upper leaves, just small and not as noticable. The very top leaves have none. When I planted Dester out it was a very stressed plant with lots of purple under the leaves and even some on top. It was crowded and I didnt plant it up soon enough.

If you have two other Dester backup plants that are fine, then it's your choice if you want to pull the affected one.

Don't you just love it when someone throws decision making back to the person asking the question?

Carolyn

[Dewayne mater]

Some of those leaves look like mold to me. Others do not. If it is mold, then there is typically a lot more of it present than meets the eye. The problem with molds, if that is what you have, is once established, it is very difficult to eliminate. If you determine that is what it is, then there are several threads discussing the narrow range of options - they are worth searching for. I hope that I'm wrong! Good luck.

Dewayne Mater

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

Some of those leaves look like mold to me. Others do not. If it is mold, then there is typically a lot more of it present than meets the eye. The problem with molds, if that is what you have, is once established, it is very difficult to eliminate. If you determine that is what it is, then there are several threads discussing the narrow range of options - they are worth searching for. I hope that I'm wrong! Good luck.

Dewayne Mater

As I said in post 3 above:

(Thinking of the more common foliage diseases I could make a weak case for perhaps one of them, but that won't help since the spores and bacteria of the common foliage diseases are spread by wind and embedded in raindrops, and would probably infect some of your other plants as well.)

And the one I was thinking of was in fact a fungal foliage disease, but as I also said above, that doesn't explain why only one plant out of 100 was affected, and I suggested an alternative explanation.

Carolyn

[Timomac]

I have similar looking plants and was thinking I have verticillium. Being a soil-borne fungus, it's possible that the verticillium could be affecting only nearby plants while not affecting others.

Here's hoping Actinovate below and above and some copper spray above can help.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Timomac

I have similar looking plants and was thinking I have verticillium. Being a soil-borne fungus, it's possible that the verticillium could be affecting only nearby plants while not affecting others.

Here's hoping Actinovate below and above and some copper spray above can help.

Nope, not Verticillium/

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3122.html

I've had Vert occasionally and know it.

For it to be Vert one would have to say that only it was in the soil under that ONE Dester plant, and I think that's stretching it quite a bit.

The fungal disease I was thinking of was Septoria Leaf Spot, a foliage disease, but knowing how it's spread the spores would have to have landed on just one plant, which is also not plausible IMO.

Linzelu, do you remember if any of your tomato plants in the same place last year had any fungal foliage infections, said carolyn, grasping at a straw.

Carolyn

[linzelu100]

Oh yeah I sure do Carloyn! They weren't in this spot...I rotated to the next section over. But I think I had every fungal mold problem there is. I def had Septoria Leaf spot last year. I am in the low grounds and it is so wet and humid here at our house. It has been a battle to keep fungus problems at bay. Which is why I was worried if I should nix this plant.

I try not to overreact, b/c last year I ripped out all my "sick" looking plants that just had droopy wispy foliage. I didn't know about them at the time.

[Elliot]

could be Septoria. I have a similar problem and am using sprays to kill fungi