Help! The growing tips of many of my tomato plants look terrible, pretty much matching pix of plants infected with the dreaded yellow leaf curl virus (TLCV).

*****

TLCV is found in only a few places in the US and it would help to know where you garden in terms of knowing if it's even a possibility.

Thanks

Carolyn, who couldn't find that info at your page and is a tad concerned since if your user name of cool by the coast is truly so, then those are not areas where TLCV is usually found.

Carolyn, I'm crossing my fingers that TLCV is NOT a possibility.

I live in Costa Mesa, Orange County, CA close to Newport Beach, Huntington Beach.

Additional data: On some plants some of the growing tips do indeed match my previous description but with purple edges, unlike the TLCV pictures I see on the web.

At my community garden plot I have seen other tomato plants over the years with these small, jagged, purple edged tops. The outcome of these plants was not pretty, to say the least.

So that you have more data,
I am growing in 15 gal pots with holes in the bottom so the roots are probably touching native soil by now. The pots contain Synago compost, homemade compost, sand, perlite, Morgrow 5-10-10 granular fertilizer, bone meal, ironite.

As I stated before, my potato leaf plants, large or seedlings look uniformly great. Any magic here?

Thanks for any light you can shed on the matter.

Last I knew there wasn't any TLCV in that area but the best thing to do is to call your local Cooperative extension and ask if it's a possibiity b'c situations change.

And for those who do have TLCV problems I can't remember anyone distinguishing between RL and PL varieties in terms of susceptibility.

Carolyn

If you could post photos it would help us help you. Is it possible?

Also, has weed killer been used anywhere in the vicinity. For instances glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup and a number of other herbicides) produces yellow new growth during the growing season.

I don't want to destroy a lot of plants if I am mis-diagnosing and just experiencing effects of over-fertilizing or some other self-correcting condition.

That would sure be the first thing that comes to my mind given your container mix described above. And right or wrong it is a far more likely cause than is TLCV. And Jean's suggestion too is more likely in your area than is TLCV. I'd also give a great deal of thought to the possibility that they are rootbound as well as the possibility of overwatering - all associated with the symptoms you describe.

Bottom line - I wouldn't rip them out. Give them some time and I'm betting they may surprise you yet.

Dave

Here are photos from several plants as requested:

And it turns out that YLCV is new to California, and was 1st found in greenhouse tomatoes in Imperial County -- March 2007.

A site with contact info and a high-quality photo is at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/NEWS/tomatodisease-news.html

The above site has a link to an Alert pdf as follows
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PMG/TomBrochure04NoTriFold.pdf

Among other things, this pdf states "TYLCV is spread by the sweetpotato whitefly" -- which is certainly possible for Orange County but I'm not certain about Costa Mesa.

It further states:
"Because the TYLCV symptoms can be confused
with those caused by other viruses, symptoms
alone cannot be used for definitive identification.
Rapid, accurate tests for identifying the
virus are available at UC Davis and the California
Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA)."

If you follow-up, please come back to tell us the diagnosis.

Here's another site
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783103311.html

Here is a link that might be useful: UC management notes about TYLCV

Jean, thanks for the info.

So this is the good news, paraphrased?

You may not have TYLCV but an equally deadly virus that may be entrenched in your environment and may spread even easier than TYLCV.

Oh boy!

Gary

Well, I hope not. You're still in the diagnostic phase.

To me, your photos look very similar but not the same. So I'd let the experts go at it from here.

If the virus is in your area, the agricultural community needs to know.

The photos look just like what I had which was TYLCV (Naples FL). If you have it I am sorry.
TYLCV took out a season of tomatoes and I had whitefly infestation on morning glories and beans which I removed and stopped growing because I WANT TOMATOES! :-)

Do I now have to stop growing sweet potatoes? Darn it.

If it has spread to the West coast that's a very bad thing. Bad news for tomato growers of all sizes (commercial and home). Bad news for tomato lovers.

There are some disease-resistant seeds (commercial only) but I've grown them and they are not as tasty as heirlooms. They are red and firm and recognizable as tomatoes like you buy in the supermarket but that's about it.

Jean, thank you for the link to the informative brochure listing a contact at UCD. I have sent an email with photo attachment requesting further instructions.

Thank you, naplesgardener for your personal confirmation of the photos.

I have planted quite a few different varieties of toms, even if none of the varieites have any resistance to TYLCV, perhaps some may be less attractive to the whitefly, I hope, I hope.

I am beating down a monstrous whitefly invasion in Santa Monica, CA. I have completely defoliated two trees in my yard and sprayed everything in sight with Pantene, per torquil's instructions. But this year's crop looks to be lost. All of my plants are showing telltale signs of TYLCV.

It's pretty devastating to come to terms with a tomatoless garden until next summer. I'm still considering planting some new ones, but it's probably not a good idea to give the whiteflies such a nice place to live while trying to eradicate them.

My plants all seem to show the symptoms differently. Most have gnarled stems, progressively yellower new growth, no fruit set, curled leaves. Some have severely stunted growth (probably those that caught the virus early).

Here is a momotaro. The photo doesn't do great justice to the extent of the yellowing:

New growth:

By the way, Carolyn, I emailed LA County Extension early on Friday. Haven't heard back from them, but if I do, I'll let you know if what they say.

Well, I received back an email from Bob Gilbertson of UCD saying "These symptoms are very interesting and we should check them (using the molecular test) for TYLCV infection."

I have mailed leaf samples and will report on result when known.

Interesting, cbtc. I have not heard back from Cheryl Wilen or John Kabashima at LA County Extension. I'll give Dr. Gilbertson a try. Thanks for following up.

jean001, here's a excerpt from Bob Gilbertson of UCD, I assume he does not mind being quoted.

"Our tests thus far have been negative for TYLCV and other geminiviruses. That is good news, though it does not explain the symptoms in your tomato plants. It is possible the condition is abiotic-that is, related to an environmental or chemical factor. Are the plants showing any sign of growing out of the problem? One question would be what was grown in the soil previously. Also, what type of insects were observed on the tomatoes. Were the plants exposed to low temperatures? If so, phosporous deficiency is a possibility-here, application of fertilizer and warmer temperature could help. Another possibility is stolbur-a leafhopper vectored phytoplasma-in this condition, the flowers are very abnormal and you might have seen leafhoppers. At this point, I would consider the above factors. If the plants are not growing well, you might consider replanting, but that would only be in the case that you can rule out a soil problem."

digdirt, you said "Give them some time and I'm betting they may surprise you yet."

Yes, they are surprising me, I am surprised how many of my 2 dozen different varieties have the symptoms and how fast the plants are failing. Many are completely stunted.

I sure could use more suggestions.

Here are my suspicions:
1. Even a small amount of Ironite (complete) is toxic to tomatoes.

2. Synagro with sludge is toxic.

I don't believe 2 to be true, or even 1 because I use both in my 4" soil and none of my 4" plants seem to have symptoms.

I am doing something somewhat unique, I have the soil-less mix in 15 gal pots with holes drilled in the bottom so the roots can extend into the native soil. Plants started out great, started failing about the right timing for roots to have contacted native soil. I will say that I have had plants grow and then fail suddenly planted directly in the native soil.

So,
3. My soil is diseased or toxic

It looks like most of my 2 dozen plants are done for, so I am thinking of starting over in pots on concrete with just peat, perlite and Morcrop 5-10-10. Reminds me of the General in Dr. Strangelove who would drink only grain alcohol and rainwater. Am I that far gone?

BTW, unlikely that root bound is an issue due to large pot and bottom holes, over-water unlikely too due to holes I would think, no herbicides anywhere near tomato plants.

Have seen keeled treehoppers, aphids, white fly in small numbers.

Thanks,
Gary

I can rule out the contaminated soil thoughts.

I live in Chino Hills, CA. I have the same problem. 8 of my 20 tomatos have classic TYLC symptoms. Some plants are perfectly healthy and the ones affected are stunted, small leaves, curled and yellow. I have never seen this before in my garden.

I grow in containers and in the ground. Container soil is all store purchased. I have tomatoes in both situations with the symptoms.

I finially just dug them out and tossed them in the trash.

Upsetting to say the least.

I emailed Bob Gilbertson yesterday and we have exchanged several emails regarding my plants. He has asked me to send a sample to him so they can check.

I will let you know what they find.