What are these yellow spots on tomato leaves?
John Swift
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
5 years agoJohn Swift
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Tomato disease - leaves curl and whither, yellow and brown spots
Comments (3)Leaf curling alone is a physiological condition caused by stress; it's common in stressed plants, including young plants which don't have the root system to support all their foliage yet, or in times of unusually bright sunlight. If you get it by itself, look to see what may have stressed the plant recently; often it's nothing to worry about. The wilting, dead green leaves symptom resembles bacterial wilt, but that's pretty rare in your neck of the woods, and tends to take the whole plant down very rapidly. Stem borers can sometimes do it; look for little holes in the affected stems. Look for any damage to the stem, in fact. With the yellowing and necrosis -- it's hard to see in that small a photo, but it looks like the dark lesions are following the veins. That's diagnostic of a toxin of some kind -- no virus I know of does that in tomato, no bacterium or fungus is that specific, and no deficiency kills the veins before the interveinal spaces. I've seen a symptom almost identical to that in a case of alcohol poisoning (someone had a cocktail party in a library foyer and apparently the drinks weren't very good, as the potted plants looked pretty rough afterward). It was an unusual enough symptom that it became a teaching example. Toxins can come from outside or from the soil. Pyola is perfectly safe for tomatoes, and the heat wasn't excessive, but make sure the dilution was correct, as too high a concentration can burn leaves much like that. Spray damage can also cause wilted and dead green leaves. If you can sacrifice a plant that's badly affected, dig it up to look at the roots, see whether it has lots of crisp, white, fine roots, not dark or knobby ones. Shave away the skin at the soil line to look for discolorations in the woody stem underneath; cut open wilted green shoots to check for hollow centers from stem borers; and finally split open the main stem to see whether it's hollow or discolored inside. I don't expect much except maybe root symptoms, but you really never know. My personal guess is soil toxicity, especially given that the lower and terminal leaves are the worst affected by the yellowing and dying, and some things take a while to build up in the leaves enough to kill them. One important thing to note is that not all toxins are synthetic chemicals -- an excess of certain minerals or nutrients can poison a plant. pH affects root uptake of anything enormously, especially minerals, but it can have its own effect as well. You may need a soil test -- call your Agriculture Department, Cooperative Extension, or U of O to find an affordable lab. I don't see your symptoms in any of the common nutrient toxicity listings, though, which means it could be something chemical, and there is no general panel for that. Down here in California I'd send it to Sacramento's Plant Diagnostics lab or the extension pathologist at U. C. Davis, but I don't know what pathologists you have at your disposal. This is certainly not a cut-and-dried common disease problem, and even a specialist is going to need some lab work to figure it out, I suspect. I wish I had more answers for you, sorry. --Alison...See MoreTomato--yellow leaves and spots (Pic)
Comments (4)Did you have a look at the Tomato Problem Solver link that is regularly posted on this forum? To me, it looks like blight (Alternaria solani), which is fungal. Click on the various pictures of leaves. In particular, you'll want to look at the one on the bottom left and the one on the bottom right. Pick up some Daconil (aka Ortho Garden Disease Control) and a good pump sprayer. Then, with some sharp shears, cut away the diseased portions of plants. Wash hands and shears well between pruning each individual plant. Dispose of all cuttings away from the garden area. Mix Daconil at the rate of one tablespoon per gallon of water in your sprayer, shake up and spray away. You'll want to attempt to cover all plant surfaces -- even the undersides of the leaves. Daconil is not systemic, it basically works by providing a barrier. I'd spray twice the first week, and every 7-10 days after that (or after rains). Daconil also works well as a preventative, so you may want to consider using it regularly next year before you see problems. Mulching is also helpful as it limits splashback of fungal spores onto the plants from the soil. Just so you know, for thirty fairly good sized plants, it should take at least two tankfuls of mix if you've sprayed the plants sufficiently (assuming a 2.5 gallon pump sprayer)....See MoreTomato plant leaves yellowing at the base with purple spots
Comments (2)Hi AhleahaSage! I put your question on the main forum because I felt it would reach more people that might know. Not everyone checks out the gallery every day. People might answer on either forum so check them both. Hope you get your answer soon :-) Here is a link that might be useful: Your question on the main forum .......See MoreYellow Spots on Tomato Leaves
Comments (2)Thanks for the reply, Dave. I Googled "Gray Leaf Spot," but it looks different to my eye. My issue is yellow spotting, while the Gray Leaf Spot seems to result in small, circular, brown spots. I'll take a look at the undersides of the leaves when I get home. I remember seeing, in previous seasons, signs of webbing among some of the marigolds I plant around my tomatoes as deterrent to the Tomato Hornworm. I will say that the sweet pea damage I posted does look very different than what I'm seeing on my tomatoes, so I probably shouldn't confuse the two in the same question. Thanks. -Ray...See Moreedweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
5 years agoJohn Swift
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoSW (Sydney, USDA 10b)
5 years agoJohn Swift
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJohn Swift
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28