Information and discussion regarding garden diseases, insects and other unwelcome critters.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 942
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Yesterday I noticed that my Sungolds had spottty leaves. I defoliated them in hopes of containing the infection. Them after reading about TSWV I thought that maybe they have this. The most affected leaves are already in the trash but I found this one today, have a look. I am not sure if I should pull these or not, thanks for the advice in advance.
Top and bottum view of affected Leaf. ![]() ![]()
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Vince Last edited by Vince; March 23, 2007 at 01:36 PM. |
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#2 |
Tomatopalooza™ Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NC-Zone 7
Posts: 2,188
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Hard to decide at this point. TSWV is spread by thrips. Do you have thrips in your
part of CA? If so, check on the flowers of your plants and see if you can detect some really small looking bugs that resemble fleas. I have found that TSWV pretty much kills the plant eventually, so there is no reason to keep it, unless you have ripening fruit when you first see the disease. At this point, though, I would wait and see what transpires before taking such drastic measures. Lee
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Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread. |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 2,648
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I agree with Lee. It's hard to tell from just those few spots. Don't pull your plants just yet. I did what you did, cutting off the spotted foliage. If that's what it is, it'll be all over a bunch more in a couple of days and you should have a better idea of what it is and maybe you can post another picture. I hope, for your sake, it's not TSWV. It's such a frustrating situation because once the plant has it, there's nothing you can do but take it out.
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Michele |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 942
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I don't know for sure if there are thrips in my area. I couldn't find anything specific to my area by googling. But, I found some information about thrips in Irvine CA, which is about 45 minutes from here. Apparently there is TSWV and thrips there, so since its so close I probably do too. I will wait and see what the plants look like in a few days when the new leaves come in.
Vince
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Vince |
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#5 |
Tomatoville® Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
Posts: 10,385
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Sungold is very, very susceptible to foliage spotting early in the season, especially when cool and rainy. I've seen this many times - the plants recover when the weather warms up.
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Craig |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 5,346
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The thing is, once you identify TSWV, you're supposed to pull and trash the plant immediately to prevent your other plants from getting infected by tomato-hopping thrips.
Sucks to wait. Sucks to pull the trigger. ![]() I am not an organic nut by any stretch of the imagination. If I got wiped out by TSWV one year, then I'd reach for a nasty chemical if I knew it would work particularly well the next. So it was nice to find this article (which I'm sure some folks here have already read and may have even been linked to already) which says that after trying both really toxic insecticides and less toxic insecticides, they found the most effective solution was tin foil hats. No wait, I mean highly UV-reflective mulch. So we may have found a way to foil this problem. ![]() ![]() |
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#7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E
Posts: 5,041
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All, Check out Polar_Lace's thread concerning putting pie tins at the base of the plants. She might have something. This might help in controlling thrips according to what Feldon found concerning reflective mulch. Ami
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=2883
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Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!' |
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 270
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Vince chemist, Are the growing tips of the plant affected? Does your plant appear to be stunted?
According to a plant pathologist at our University, viral symptoms are often most obvious in an area of active cell division, i.e., the youngest leaves, the growing tip. A publication from our University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture says of TSWV: "Tomato plant growth ceases and senescence is promoted after infection with spotted wilt virus. In older plants, leaves near the growing tips show dark, bronze or purplish, circular necrotic spots. Fruits also show circular concentric marks. Tomato spotted wilt virus is the only virus known to be transmitted by thrips." |
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#9 |
Tomatopalooza™ Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NC-Zone 7
Posts: 2,188
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Great information folks! Honu, that description is spot on. (excuse the pun..)
Univ of Fla is also another really good source of information about this problem. I don't have the ariticles handy, but I saw a report of some research they did that determined over-fertilization (N mainly) tended to increase the likelihood of infection, perhaps by attracting more of the vectors (thrips).... This is a great post Vince, and I sincerely hope you don't have TSWV! Lee P.S. Anyone think we should take the information here and add it to the TSWV sticky as well?
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Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread. |
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#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,027
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 942
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hONU,
The growing tips do not seem to be affected. The plants are not stunted. Craig, I think you are right in that this is just early spotting on the sungolds. The new foliage including the growing tips look fine now. I am pretty sure it is not TSWV! Thanks everyone. Vince
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Vince |
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#12 |
Tomatopalooza™ Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NC-Zone 7
Posts: 2,188
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Great news! I don't wish TSWV on anyone.... well maybe one.....
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Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread. |
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