This has some excerption from an early post in 2015 in June and new info as well in 2016 . We are experiencing sullen imperativeness from the Beet Leafhopper which transmit a computer virus called Curly Top Virus ( CTV ) to tomato plants now in 2016 . Please read below .
Curly Top Virus ( CTV ) on tomatoesLast year , the Beet Leafhopper which transmits ‘ Curly Top Tomato Virus ’ was rampant in our gardens and devastated many of our Lycopersicon esculentum plants . I lost only 1 works out of 125 in 2015 to it but only because I take over-the-top metre to protect them . Here is some information on the beet leafhopper , how to key it , symptom and how to protect your plants .
The Beet Leafhopper flies in on the breaking wind in early June through other July , jump-start on the Lycopersicon esculentum plants and taste them . It is a self-aggrandising problem in the Southwest and inland in California where it is hot . They do n’t even like to eat Lycopersicon esculentum plants but try them , transmitting the disease in the physical process , then fly off to visit other plants .
beet leafhopper – courtesy ofhttp://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/curlytopvirus.shtml
Beta vulgaris leafhopper – courtesy ofhttp://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/curlytopvirus.shtml
name Beet LeafhoppersThe beet leafhopper is very small - about 1/8 column inch long , pale green to light brown Green River and has wings that look like a collapsible shelter when folded up vs spread out like a moth . See photo on left . They fare when conditions are ironic , raging and windy . Sound familiar ? This is distinctive June - early July weather condition here in the capital Santa Fe area .
You will know if they are in your garden as they fare in and when you take the air around your garden , you ’ll see jumping fiddling green bugs that fly off when you take the air by . Then they leave — flying to the next garden . Because of this , you ca n’t really spray anything to get them because they hop-skip so tight and only stick around in the garden a short clock time — here today , gone tomorrow . By the time you notice something is wrong with your tomato plant , they are long drop dead . It takes about 2 workweek for symptoms to show up .
beet leafhopper – courtesy ofhttp://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/curlytopvirus.shtml
SymptomsYour tomato plant folio will start to whorl and the underside of the foliage and veins will turn a purple colour .
Tomato Curly Top Virus - set about stages on left and advanced stage on right
The leaves then start up to droop and the plant will look stunted . You might think it need weewee but it does n’t , it is mad and wo n’t recover . There is no remedy for tomato plants with this disease . ‘Curly - Top Virus ’ is only transmitted from bug to set and isNOTtransmitted from plant to engraft hence you will see a goodish plant next to a sick plant . The pictures above show 2 plant with curly top . The first one is start to be sick with curly leaves and the venous blood vessel will work empurpled . The second plant in the motion picture is advanced .
Tomato Curly Top Virus-beginning stages on left and advanced stages on right
There is NO CURE for this computer virus and if your tomato ( or Madagascar pepper for that matter ) shows signs of the disease , you should pull the industrial plant . You could leave the plant life in BUT if another wave of leafhopper come by and a tidy leafhopper bites your sick plant , it only takes 10 minutes in 90 ° atomic number 9 weather for it to be able-bodied to transmit the disease to one of your salubrious plants . The best thing to do is deplumate any sick flora and toss away of it . I do n’t compost ANY tomato plant that shows disease .
Here are some remedies:• Leafhoppers do not care shade and if your flora are part shaded , that may help keep them off but since most of us grow Lycopersicon esculentum in full Sunday that might be unmanageable .
Put row cover over tomato plants
Put row cover over tomato plants
• The master thing I do iscreate a physical roadblock between the hemipterous insect and the plants . I now handle all tomato plants with row cover until the hemipteran leave . enfold the dustup cover around your tomato cage and put a patch on top of the cage BEFORE they follow . I observe they either bequeath or are suppressed after the monsoons come in July when it is cooler and surfactant . After the monsoon roll in , I take off the dustup coversBUT NOT UNTIL THEN.I hope they fall in soon as they are late aright now . tomato plant are self pollinating so they are n’t pollinated by bee or other pollinator . Another thing I ’ve noticed ismany of my purple or black tomato varietiesseem to get strike hard . I question if they give off something that attracts the leafhopper ? Right now all of my tomato plant are report .
• finally you could put out some tomatoes later in the time of year after the bugs go away but you ’ll have to put in early time of year varieties so you’re able to still harvest before the time of year end . I corrupt gallon size at that peak so as not to be too far behind . Agua Fria Nursery still has 1 gallon love apple as of now . A couple of years ago when I was out at the Santa Fe Community Garden , I noticed many run-in of sick tomato plants but one dustup of absolutely sizable plants and when I postulate about them , it turned out they were put out about a month later than the rest of them and by then the leafhopper were gone .
Dry , gay , windy weather condition are everlasting conditions for the leafhopper so look out this summertime - conditions are ripe again until the monsoon come !
Physiological Leaf Roll-Photo courtesy Clemson University
IMPORTANT NOTE : Now there are three cases where you may think you have curly top virus but may or may not have it .
Physiological Leaf Roll - Photo good manners Clemson University
Phosphorus deficiency in tomatoes happen when the weather is still cold-not in June.
The first stipulation that may not be Tomato Curly top Virus isPhysiological Leaf Rollthat can happen on some love apple and could be triggered by various factor including accent and that is not of necessity curly top - if you works has rolled leavesbut no majestic veinsas shown above , it possibly has physiologic folio roll and take care for why it may be accent . It is getting enough water , too much weewee , too much nitrogen ? Also drought , pruning , root harm and transplant blow can all be reasons for leaf roll . For more info on this condition gohere .
Phosphorus inadequacy in tomatoes happen when the weather is still cold-blooded - not in June .
The second condition is early on in the time of year , not now . Sometimes the foliage turn royal when it is still insensate outdoors . This is aphosphorus deficiency . This never happens in June or later on when it is warmbut more in May if you plant early and it is still insensate outside .
The third term ( no motion picture ) is if you are growing a royal or black-market change of tomato your plant life may have purple veinsso do n’t pull it unless it start to search fed up with the curly leaves and looks like it necessitate water .
