Diseases Affecting Tomato Crops During The Fruiting Stage

Your tomato plants enter the critical stage of growth and development during the fruiting stage, ensuring a satisfying harvest. 🍅🌿 However, there are a number of diseases that might threaten the health and output of your tomato crops during this critical stage. 🍂🦠 In order to ensure a strong and productive tomato harvest, we will discuss some common illnesses that might harm your tomato plants throughout the fruiting period and offer efficient treatments. 🌱🛡️

The following common illnesses could harm your tomato crops during the fruiting stage: 

1. Fusarium Wilt

Causal Organism: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici  

Symptoms

• tiolder leaves turning yellow, wilting, browning, and defoliation. 🍂🌱 
• Cutng an infected stem at the base reveals dark brown vascular tissue streaks. 🔪🌱
•  This illness causes growth to be stunted, interferes with fruit development, and frequently results in the plants dying too soon. 🍅🦠🌿

Control Measures

• To stop the illness from spreading, remove the contaminated tomato plants from the field. 🚫🍅 Avoid stagnant water, and use nitrogenous fertilizers sparingly. 💧⚠️
•  Apply Trichoderma viride 5% L.F. Multiplex Nisarga Bio Fungicide at a rate of 2 kg per acre. 🌿🛢️
• Apply 300 cc of Spectrum Fungicide (Azoxystrobin 11% + Tebuconazole 18.3% SC) per acre to the afflicted region. 🛢️🌾 (Or)
•  Apply 2 ml of Infinito Fungicide (Fluopicolide 5.56% + Propamocarb hydrochloride 55.6% SC) per liter of water. 🌿🌊

2. Early Blight 

Causal Organism: Alternaria solani 

Symptoms

• Small black lesions that slowly turn yellow and create leaf spots from the bottom of the leaves first show up on older leaves. 🍂🔍
•  In both foliage and fruits, these spots may expand and develop concentric rings in the shape of a bull's-eye pattern, along with a golden halo. 🎯🍃🌼

Control Measures

• Use 1.6 ml of Revus Fungicide (Mandipropamid 23.4% SC) per liter of water. 🌿💧 (Or) 
• use 2 grams of Antracol Fungicide (Propineb 70% WP) per liter of water. 🛢️🌱 (Or)
•  apply 2 grams of Curzate Fungicide (Cymoxanil 8% + Mancozeb 64% WP) per liter of water. 🌾🔬

3. Late Blight

Causal Organism: Phytophthora infestans 

Symptoms

• Small water-soaked areas that swiftly turn into greasy, purple-brown patches are its defining features. 💧🟤 
• On the undersides of the diseased leaves, a mycelial growth that is grayish white may be seen encircling the spots. 🍂🔍
•  It quickly spreads, harming petioles, young stems, and even fruits, which causes considerable production losses. 🌱🍅🔴

Control Measures

• Applied at a rate of 2 gm per liter of water, Acrobat Complete Fungicide (Metiram 44% + Dimethomorph 9% WG) is a fungicide. 🌿🛢️ (Or)
•  Apply Sectin Fungicide at a rate of 2 gm per liter of water (Fenamidone 10% and Mancozeb 50% WG). 🛢️🔬 (Or)
•  use Zampro (ametoctradin 27 percent + dimethomorph 20.27 percent), 2 grams per liter of water. 🛢️🌊

4. Bacterial Leaf Spot

Causal Organism: Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria  

Symptoms

• It is distinguished by the development of fruits that start off yellow or light green and gradually convert into black or dark brown leaf patches with a yellow halo. 🟡🌿🌑
•  On the leaf margins, in particular, larger leaf blotches can be visible. 🍂🍃
•  Twigs and green fruits may also be impacted by this disease. 🌳🍈🔴 

Control Measures

• Use 1.5 to 2 grams of Shamrock Overseas Borogold (Colloidal Nano Silver Technology) per liter of water. (Or)
• Apply Conika Fungicide at a rate of 2 grams per liter of water (Kasugamycin 5% + Copper Oxychloride 45% WP). (Or)
• Apply 1.2 to 1.5 ml of Amistar Top Fungicide (Azoxystrobin 18.2% + Difenoconazole 11.4% SC) per liter of water. 

5. Tomato Spotted Wilt Disease

Causal Organism: Tomato spotted wilt virus 

Vector: Thrips (Thrips tabaci, Frankliniella  schultzei, Scirtothrips dorsalis) 

Symptoms 

• Younger leaves' upper surfaces start to bronze and eventually develop necrotic patches. 🍂🔴
•  Dieback symptoms can be seen in the downward cupping of the leaves and the tip of the shoots. 🌱🍂
•  Fruits may have circular spots or marks with concentric circles. 🍅🎯
•  Chlorotic spots and blotches frequently have concentric rings and show on ripe fruit as alternative bands of red and yellow. 🟡🔴🍅

Control Measures

For plants infected with this virus, there is no cure. Monitoring for thrips and tomato spotted wilt symptoms from the seedling stage onwards is essential to stop the spread of TSWV. Infected plants must also be swiftly removed and destroyed. Furthermore, it is advised to remove weeds from the tomato field since they serve as a second host for thrips.  

6. Bacterial Wilt

Causal Organism: Ralstonia solanacearum 

Symptoms

• Terminal leaves begin to wilt in two to three days, and eventually, the entire plant may wilt permanently. 🌱🥀
•  Vascular bundles may also show dark discoloration, and when a freshly severed stem is submerged in water, bacterial slime appears. 💧🌿🦠

Control Measures

Bacterial Wilt is very challenging to control. Getting rid of the sick plants by burning or burying them is one technique to lessen the illness. Increase calcium availability by liming or adding bleaching powder (Calcium hypochlorite) and abstain from over-irrigating to stop the disease from spreading. 

7. Powdery Mildew

Causal Organism: Leveillula taurica, Oidiopsis neolycopersici 

Symptoms

• On the lower surface of the older leaves of infected plants, there is patchy white powdery growth that can later extend to both leaf surfaces, causing chlorosis and defoliation. 🍃🕊️

Control Measures

• Apply one milliliter of Luna Experience Fungicide (Fluopyram 17.7% + Tebuconazole 17.7% SC) per liter of water. (Or) 
• apply 0.6 ml of sodium fungicide (Cyflufenamid 5% EW) per liter. 
• Use Nativo Fungicide (Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% WG), 0.5 gm per liter of water, as an alternative. 

Note : For your tomato plants to grow well, it is essential to take preventative measures to control infections at the fruiting stage. 🍅🌿 Keep an eye out for disease infection in your plants, and act quickly with the suggested fungicides. 🛡️🦠 When applying any fungicides, keep in mind to adhere to the directions on the product labels and take the necessary safety precautions. 📋🌱👷‍♀️

Conclusion

Crop rotation, good sanitation, and the use of disease-resistant tomato varieties are all essential for the prevention and control of these illnesses. 🌱🔄🍅 In addition to these disease management preventive measures, chemical therapies are also an option. 🔬🛢️ Your tomato plants will thrive if you give them the right attention and care, and you'll get a bountiful harvest in return. 🌱🌾🍅