is this bacterial or fungal? HELP!

[BigVanVader]

Yeah I am kinda entrenched in letting my soil take care of itself. If anything I will just inoculate all my seedlings next year with actinovate or some similar beneficial bacteria. I decided yesterday I am going to replant a heirloom in the spot, that way if it dies with the same symptoms I will know that its Fusarium.

[rjake100]

I've lost half of my 20 heirloom plants this season. All the plants I've lost showed similar symptoms. The first sign of disease is a wilted top. At this stage the plant looks perfectly happy, green, and a little thirsty. The plant will eventually wilt all the way from top to bottom. In April and May when the heat wasn't as bad the wilting process took a week or longer. In today's heat the wilt takes the plant out in 2 or 3 days. I've noticed that the disease is most likely to take effect when the plant is loaded with fruit. I guess that's when the plant is focusing its energy on reproduction rather than its immune system.

I've found that the disease will spread up into containers if accumulated rain water is able to enter through the bottom. I don't know if my pruning shears spread the disease or if insects are transmitting it. It’s impossible to know. Once I realized that I had a problem I tried to implement some sanitation practices.

I've also conducted the white ooze test on several of the victims. Sometimes I get lots of white ooze, sometimes I don’t. I’ve found that the most ooze is present at the top of the plant at the early stages of wilting.

I’m convinced that the disease impacting my tomatoes is bacterial wilt. I am also convinced that it is widespread in my garden. This fall I am going to focus more on containers that are elevated out of the dirt. My raised beds will get some solarization followed by microbial inoculants and leaf molds. I only grow tomatoes. I should grow something else in the raised beds for a while, but I probably won’t.

[BigVanVader]

Yeah sounds the same, mine looked great until they got loaded with fruit. To update I have lost another plant and 2 more on the way out, all in the same row. What is odd is it is a new bed, never grown anything there before.

[Dewayne mater]

Late to this party. By ISPL do you mean Indian Stripe Potato leaf? I ask because I got new I.S. RL seeds this year and most didn't sprout from seed. One did, but was a slow grower. I planted it anyway. About a week ago, I went out and it was very droopy all over. No leafs showing that look one of your pics shows which looks possibly like mold damage to me. Still, no other plants in anywhere in any of the places I grow did anything like this, including the 2 others in the raised bed the IS is in. This is only the second year for this raised bed and the soil put in last year was all new, though of course stuff leaches up from the ground. Sure am wondering about those I.S. seeds now. Anyone else?

Dewayne Mater

[BigVanVader]

Yes Indian Stripe potato leaf. Mine are from my own saved seeds. So far they are the only plants affected.

[rjake100]

I'm operating on my limited experience, all the info I've read on TV, and various academic resources.

I feel like whatever is causing the wilt is native to the area. We can attempt to crowd it with a healthy soil inhabitants. And on top of that we can give our plants all they need to withstand infection. I have a feeling it's going to be a long hard fought battle.

A new bed wouldn't have an established microbial web and would be a great host to the bad guys.

[BigVanVader]

My thoughts as well. I added organic matter and a bag of tomato tone but that wasn't enough I guess. I plan to grow okra there next year.

[bower]

I just found this article that talks about the whole gamut of things that can be done to protect your plants against the bacterial wilt Ralstonia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4356456/

This second study used organic fertilizers to change microbial community structure - and suppress Ralstonia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4382293/

[mgk65]

Here is another paper on wilt.
https://extension.tennessee.edu/Hump...20Problems.pdf

Looks like I will not be planting tomatoes in my rear garden area for a while.

[mgk65]

... dupe

[bower]

Originally Posted by mgk65

Here is another paper on wilt.
https://extension.tennessee.edu/Hump...20Problems.pdf

Looks like I will not be planting tomatoes in my rear garden area for a while.

Yikes how many wilts!
I always forget about this stuff until suddenly I have a problem. I've been having some issues with the "pith necrosis" this year in my new container soil. New growth turned yellow then stems started swelling in odd places, that fit the description of 'pith necrosis' in an Alabama publication. Can be caused by six different bacteria including Blackleg (which I HATE on potatoes) but the Pseudomonas corrugata is commonly blamed, and it is super wierd. This thing is found in clouds, snow, riverbeds... everywhere there's water, and it's an "ice nucleating" bacterium.
http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/...j2007113a.html Nothing like trouble to bring up on some wierd wonder that you never imagined.

I did take drastic measures to amend the soil (and pretty much a full on root massage!) plus the weather switched from cold and wet to sunny and hot, the plants are looking fine... for now. So I'm feeling positive about the amendment approach to bacterial issues.
The fusarium... that's got to be tough.

[Lindalana]

Any suggestions what to do with pythium? Somehow I got in trouble after heaping my own bottom pile compost onto tomato roots.
I had to take cuttings on some of plants and am not sure how many will get sick.

[bower]

Originally Posted by Lindalana

Any suggestions what to do with pythium? Somehow I got in trouble after heaping my own bottom pile compost onto tomato roots.
I had to take cuttings on some of plants and am not sure how many will get sick.

For the cuttings, they say to use a clean soilless mix because pythium is associated with soil and sand - although as we know it can be sometimes in the commercial mixes, along with fungus gnats which spread it.
The soil amendment approach could work for Pythium, here is a list of things that may help in the tables here:
http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant...plant-diseases
Potassium silicate? I never heard of it but apparently both the potassium and the silicate helps. In the case of the 'pith necrosis' bacteria, amendment with potassium and calcium is recommended. For natural source, kelp has K as well as other benefits to the soil community, chitin or shrimp or crab shells encourages Trichoderma, and Horsetail (Equisetum) is a natural source of soluble silica could be applied as a tea. Just some examples, I'm sure there is something locally about everywhere that could be used to tweak the soil community. Mushrooms are chitin too, for example - if available instead of shell I would shred them up to feed the Trichoderma etc. even if you have a product like Actinovate, you could make the most of it by feeding the good guys. JMO.

[Johnniemar]

I have 5 indian stripe potato leaf plants, 4 of them have died from what looks like bacterial wilt. I also have 8 Indian stripe regular leaf plants that are healthy. Seems to me that the ispl plant is prone to this wilting disease. I plan to not grow this potato leaf version of Indian stripe next season. Will double up on Isrl.

[BigVanVader]

Did you get those seed from me? I traded a lot of them. Hope it isn't a seed born issue.