Need help identifying this disease!

Sunfreak · July 14, 2012

Hi everyone from Germany! My name is Michael. I have poor english language skills. So please be patient. This is the reason why i'm so silent. But i'm reading here very often...

My tomatoes are diseased!

I have no idea what it could be. Affected are the leafs and the stems. The leafs wilt and dry out. The stems are turning into a olive green coloring. It is possibly affected just the rind (cortex) of the stem. The rest of the stem are looking healthy (e.g. pith).

I have never seen this before. What do you all think?

VC Scott · July 16, 2012

Sunfreak:

I hate to tell you this, but it looks to me like Late Blight. Some more knowledgeable members here can confirm. If it is late blight, the best thing you can do is remove and bag the infected plants and start spraying unaffected plants with a fungicide like Daconil. You should take precautions to prevent soil from contacting the leaves of your healthy plants. Trim the bottom 12 inches of the plants and cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch. Do not water the foliage. Pray for dry weather.

Sun City Linda · July 16, 2012

Hi Sunfreak and welcome to Tomatoville. I am no kind of an expert and I have never had late blight but the pictures I have seen of late blight show black leaves and stems lesions that look greasyand wet. Your leaves look dry and crispy and the stems seem bronzed and lacking fine hairs. I dont know who here besides me and Raybo have had Tomato Russet Mite but it looks similar to me.

While you are waiting for some more knowlegable folks to respond, try a google search for Tomato Russet Mite and see what you think. I have no idea if they even exist in Germany.

RayR · July 16, 2012

It doesn't look like Late Blight to me, and I had Blight last year. The stems are turning an olive green but have no dark lesions, the leaves are turning crispy brown, but with late blight, the leaves wilt with water soaked dark lesions. If it was Late Blight, the whole plant would have collapsed already.
I don't know what it is otherwise.

Sunfreak · July 16, 2012

Big thx to everybody!

It's probably not Late Blight. Late Blight is very common here in Germany. I have a lot of experience with Late Blight.

Here are pictures in higher quality:

2,176px × 3,248px; 984.78 KB:
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/4972/36576181.jpg

4,416px × 5,952px; 1,724.36 KB:
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3914/66289466.jpg

I hope US internet connections are fast enough for such large files...

I try a google search for Tomato Russet Mite later... I'm tired... Good night!

ChrisK · July 17, 2012

I have what appears to be the same problem. Wish I knew what it was too!

Sunfreak · July 18, 2012

Some leafs and stems was sent to a laboratory for analysis. I'm waiting for the result...

- Michael

VC Scott · July 27, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunfreak

Some leafs and stems was sent to a laboratory for analysis. I'm waiting for the result...

- Michael

Michael:

Any results from the Lab?

Sunfreak · July 28, 2012

Nope, they believe it is a new strain of late blight. They have never seen this before. I get the results in 2-3 weeks.

However this disease interact completely different with the plant then late blight...

Michael

RayR · July 28, 2012

That's strange Michael, how has it spread since you took photos?
Any visible growth of sporangia on the infected leaves and stems?

ChrisK · August 21, 2012

Any results yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunfreak

Nope, they believe it is a new strain of late blight. They have never seen this before. I get the results in 2-3 weeks.

However this disease interact completely different with the plant then late blight...

Michael

Elliot · August 21, 2012

I too am having a problem with all of my tomato plants. The leaves are all turning orage and dying. yes there is fruit but once I pick what is left, the plants will be gone. Normally our tomato plants last unti the first frost

Sunfreak · August 22, 2012

The lab found nothing!!!

But a second analysis yesterday found russet mites!

Here a video from my plants:

- Michael

July 16, 2012	#2
VC Scott Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, CA Posts: 352	Sunfreak: I hate to tell you this, but it looks to me like Late Blight. Some more knowledgeable members here can confirm. If it is late blight, the best thing you can do is remove and bag the infected plants and start spraying unaffected plants with a fungicide like Daconil. You should take precautions to prevent soil from contacting the leaves of your healthy plants. Trim the bottom 12 inches of the plants and cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch. Do not water the foliage. Pray for dry weather.

July 16, 2012	#3
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	Hi Sunfreak and welcome to Tomatoville. I am no kind of an expert and I have never had late blight but the pictures I have seen of late blight show black leaves and stems lesions that look greasyand wet. Your leaves look dry and crispy and the stems seem bronzed and lacking fine hairs. I dont know who here besides me and Raybo have had Tomato Russet Mite but it looks similar to me. While you are waiting for some more knowlegable folks to respond, try a google search for Tomato Russet Mite and see what you think. I have no idea if they even exist in Germany.

July 16, 2012	#4
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	It doesn't look like Late Blight to me, and I had Blight last year. The stems are turning an olive green but have no dark lesions, the leaves are turning crispy brown, but with late blight, the leaves wilt with water soaked dark lesions. If it was Late Blight, the whole plant would have collapsed already. I don't know what it is otherwise.

July 16, 2012	#5
Sunfreak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 23	Big thx to everybody! It's probably not Late Blight. Late Blight is very common here in Germany. I have a lot of experience with Late Blight. Here are pictures in higher quality: 2,176px × 3,248px; 984.78 KB: http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/4972/36576181.jpg 4,416px × 5,952px; 1,724.36 KB: http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3914/66289466.jpg I hope US internet connections are fast enough for such large files... I try a google search for Tomato Russet Mite later... I'm tired... Good night!

July 17, 2012	#6
ChrisK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,448	I have what appears to be the same problem. Wish I knew what it was too!

July 18, 2012	#7
Sunfreak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 23	Some leafs and stems was sent to a laboratory for analysis. I'm waiting for the result... - Michael

July 28, 2012	#9
Sunfreak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 23	Nope, they believe it is a new strain of late blight. They have never seen this before. I get the results in 2-3 weeks. However this disease interact completely different with the plant then late blight... Michael

August 21, 2012	#12
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	I too am having a problem with all of my tomato plants. The leaves are all turning orage and dying. yes there is fruit but once I pick what is left, the plants will be gone. Normally our tomato plants last unti the first frost

August 22, 2012	#13
Sunfreak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 23	The lab found nothing!!! But a second analysis yesterday found russet mites! Here a video from my plants: - Michael