Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (w/ Pix)

[b54red]

I just pulled one of my older plants set out in March with TSWV. It was loaded with small tomatoes but the TSWV hit it really hard and all the new growth was wilting and there was no way it was going to last long enough for those small fruits to finish growing and ripening. This makes three plants so far this year which is not so bad. Knock on wood.

Bill

[svalli]

Is this TSVW on my Santorini? Two weeks ago it was very bushy and well growing and now all the new leaves have these black spots and dried sunken areas. This appeared few days ago on couple of the stems and I thought that it was caused by the epsom-salt spray, but now it has spread on all new growth of this plant and other plants next to it are fine.

I had Verbena cuttings growing in the greenhouse this spring and I had to spray those frequently because of thrips. I read that TSWV affects also on Verbena, so that could be how I brought the virus to the greenhouse.

This is how it looked two weeks ago.


And this is the sad sight today.




Sari

[svalli]

I removed the diseased Santorini, but the noticed that next plant too has black spots on new growth.
TSWV spreading.jpg

Is there any way of preventing this from spreading?

Sari

[Gerardo]

I

Originally Posted by svalli

I removed the diseased Santorini, but the noticed that next plant too has black spots on new growth.
Attachment 82700

Is there any way of preventing this from spreading?

Sari

Before you 86 it provide a thorough dose of copper and wait and see, it may surprise you. It does not spread by contact, you have to reduce the thrips population

[svalli]

I do have a small packet of dicopper chloride trihydroxide, which I ordered from Estonia. I was going to try it against late blight in potatoes, since the small packets of Dithane earlier sold to home gardeners have been discontinued. The legislation changed and most agriculture chemicals are only sold to farmers, who have went through training and are certified. I have not been able to find any copper containing fungicides in Finland even before the laws changed, so I think that those are not normally used here.
I have to research more about this copper product, before I spray it.

Sari

[b54red]

Found another of my older plants with TSWV this morning and pulled it since it only had one decent fruit on it which was already blushing. All the new fruit that had set in the last week or so was obviously affected by the TSWV.

I agree it doesn't spread by contact. I have left TSWV infected plants in my beds for months before with no spread to the neighbors. I have only done this with very healthy large plants that were loaded with fruit and seemed to be resisting the affects of TSWV somewhat. Usually that is not the case even with large plants so if it is spreading rapidly on the plant and really slowing or stopping growth I pull it.

I can't believe you can't buy a simple copper fungicide. Most of them are considered organic. It seems if that is the case that the state is over zealous in protecting you from yourself. However a fungicide is not going to help you with TSWV.

Bill

[Fred Hempel]

TSWV is spread by thrips.

I think removing diseased plants is important, because thrips on that plant can spread TSWV to nearby plants, although the rate and frequency of spread is very variable.

I have removed 3 so far this year. Getting better at seeing them when symptoms are still subtle.

[Fred Hempel]

And weeds are major carriers. Alot of common weeds...

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

TSWV is spread by thrips.

I think removing diseased plants is important, because thrips on that plant can spread TSWV to nearby plants, although the rate and frequency of spread is very variable.

I have removed 3 so far this year. Getting better at seeing them when symptoms are still subtle.

It took me a while before I started recognizing those very early signs of TSWV. It doesn't always manifest itself the same way early in the disease.

Bill

[Fred Hempel]

It took me years to recognize early signs. The biggest one, that demands a closer look, is when 1 out of 4 tomatoes of the same variety (we plant in 4's) is much smaller than the others, and paler.

Usually then, when you inspect up close, it has signs of TSWV.

Originally Posted by b54red

It took me a while before I started recognizing those very early signs of TSWV. It doesn't always manifest itself the same way early in the disease.

Bill

[svalli]

Originally Posted by b54red

I can't believe you can't buy a simple copper fungicide. Most of them are considered organic. It seems if that is the case that the state is over zealous in protecting you from yourself. However a fungicide is not going to help you with TSWV.

Bill

The stuff which is available for home gardeners here has always been limited. Especially any biological or organic controls for plant pests and diseases has been hard to find. The consumer market for gardening products here is so small that it is dominated by few companies and the same products are then sold at every gardening center. Copper has been mentioned as fungicide at some writings about organic farming, but I have never heard of any home gardener here using it.

I got some effective microorganisms, which I activated by fermenting. I am not a true believer in that stuff, but I am now experimenting and spraying that on couple of plants, which started to show signs of TSWV. I know that it will not cure them, but as long as it does not hurt, I'll give it a try.

Sari

[b54red]

I pulled another of my older plants with TSWV yesterday and noticed one of my newly planted tomatoes is infected so I will probably pull it in a day or two. I also have three bell pepper plants that are showing symptoms. One is an older plant that has been sickly for a while and the other two were planted about a month ago. I will keep a close eye on them because TSWV is much harder to recognize in the early stages on peppers than on tomatoes.

Bill

[bower]

Two weeks ago I thought I was seeing this dread disease for the first time. Black spots on some upper leaves (but not the very newest ones), purpling edges etc. I was not ready to give up on the plants, and I knew they were bothered by pests as well as some nutritional and pH issues and a shrinking volume of soil in a small pot. So I pruned off the spotty leaves and I put a couple of inches of fresh compost on top of the soil. Their condition improved immediately, and since then they also put on new flowers and fruit, as well as ripening fruit with quality #1 the best. Only one had some scarring on early fruit from insect damage, but no sign of the 'circles' as with the virus.

I did see one more leaf with the spots on it, so I left it to see how it developed. In fact some purpling of the spots and yellowing around them, typical of the effects of certain mildews we do get here when it gets hot and humid. I've never seen them start black before, usually it's purple. But in the beginning it sure looked like the TSWV. The spores blow in the windows if weeds outside are not controlled, and I guess I missed a few.
Very relieved not to have it, since tiny pests this year have been a constant battle.

[b54red]

I pulled my first TSWV infected plant this past weekend. It was a Brandywine Suddith’s” that had been planted a month ago. It didn’t even have any open blooms yet. It was one of only eight plants set out in my first tomato bed. I usually set out at least thirty in my first planting but I have had problems with my seedlings and my grafting this season. I did get a second planting in two weeks ago with twenty plants and I will try to keep planting right through June or early July.

Bill

[GoDawgs]

That's a shame, Bill. I hope the rest don't get it. What is it with this year? More stuff seems to be not quite right this year than I've had happen in a good while.