Thread: Is this TSWV??
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Old April 16, 2017   #7
b54red
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
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If the plant is that young and it is TSWV then it won't be around for long. It does look like TSWV to me but it could be something else. Give it a spray as Marsha recommended because it won't hurt and it might help if it isn't TSWV.

If the plant just stops growing and the rust keeps spreading then it is pretty likely to be TSWV and a young plant just doesn't have a chance once it gets infected so pulling it is the safer thing to do. I have one right now that I am keeping an eye on for TSWV.

Just because you don't see thrips doesn't mean they weren't there two weeks ago. Usually when I see a bunch of thrips I don't see any TSWV for at least two weeks before the first symptoms occur. I have only seen one wave of thrips so far this spring but I'm sure more will be coming.

One thing I have noticed is that tomato plants with a lighter green foliage tend to get TSWV more often than the varieties with the darker green foliage. I get some plants hit by TSWV every year and I haven't found any way to stop them. I just grow a lot of plants so losing 10 to 20 percent of them doesn't really hurt me other than my feelings. I can't remember the last year I lost less than 10% of the plants I set out. I hope this year will be on the low side since the aphids seem to be as bad as I have ever seen on my peppers this year and there is a weird scarcity of lady bugs this spring. They were everywhere before that late hard freeze came in here a couple of weeks ago but I have only seen one this past week. I hope some of her friends show up soon.

Bill
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