Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (w/ Pix)

[b54red]

I pulled about 10 more today and still have a few more that are showing signs that will get worse over the next week or two. I have never had any soil issues with TSWV. In other words it doesn't spread in the soil as far as I can tell because I have planted hundreds of new plants right behind plants pulled for TSWV and have not had a problem. If it spread through the soil like fusarium a new young plant wouldn't last a week before getting TSWV. Some of the plants I pulled today have some resistance but not like some of the hybrids that have that tolerance bred into them.

A fair number of infected plants took a long time to get really sick after showing the first symptoms which are slow growth, curly smaller leaves in the new growth which is off color and rust in the leaves on most of the suspect plants. It seems fruit setting will bring out the worse symptoms of a plant that has already been infected but hasn't gotten really sick yet. Younger plants usually get much sicker much faster than a large robust plant infected at the same time. If the larger plant has decent sized fruit on it they will usually make while most of the smaller ones become stunted and a bit weird looking.

I really don't want to grow any of the hybrids that are resistant to TSWV again. I grew a lot of them some years back and they just don't have the taste I am looking for besides we have a lot of commercial tomato growers around growing the hybrids that do well here and plenty of stands to get them from.

It seems I am finally having to pay the piper for all the success I have had for the past decade with grafted plants. Especially since I found that RST-04-106-T rootstock that is triple fusarium tolerant as well as tolerant of Bacterial wilt. Since using it I have not had any mass die offs other that the usual loses from TSWV and a few bad spider mite problems late in the summer. I just got used to losing a reasonable percentage of plants to TSWV and didn't expect this slaughter. Other than the replacement plants that I put in I don't think many of the original plants I set out in that bed of 45 will be long term survivors. I think I had two waves of thrips hit about a week apart and now it is just a waiting game to see which ones escaped getting stung. I do have a few that are definitely not infected that are standing two feet taller and fruiting with beautiful foliage and robust growth habits but not enough plants for that 44ft long bed.

Bill

[b54red]

Well I was right about not having many survivors of that large bed of grafted plants. Of the original 45 plants I set out I have six survivors that are doing great and most of the replacements that I was able to set out have not been hit by TSWV; but several have and I pulled them. The new bed I planted has only had 3 plants out of 18 get TSWV so hopefully the worst of the TSWV plague is past. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm sure glad I grafted way more plants than I could possibly use in a normal year. It finally paid off but even so I will have a lot of gaps because I never envisioned loses to TSWV of over 50%.

I have also had to remove 8 bell pepper plants that got TSWV. Luckily my peppers were way behind in getting out into the garden this year and missed the worst of the infection. I was berating myself for weeks because I was so behind this year but it worked out okay. It could have been far worse if I had gotten everything out when I planned my loses would have been catastrophic.

Hopefully TSWV won't be as bad again next year.

Bill

[MrsJustice]

Hello this morning, I am glad you have 6 healthy survivors to enjoy. I too have planted this year some seeds from Dr. Carolyn Projects just to feel close to her. So far so good, they are just for me to eat and enjoy. I will report after going back and reading all of her posts before reporting the results.

I will pray for your crop. Keep up the Good Work taken care of Tomatoes Plant. We are getting a cool down lasting a week, that is always welcome for the ability to work all-day taken care of my Tomatoes, Amen!!.

[b54red]

This has been a humbling summer for me as a gardener who prides himself at finding ways to overcome adversity and still get a good crop of tomatoes most years. I have also lost a lot of bell peppers and even several hot pepper plants to TSWV this year. I have only had a few of my latest tomatoes set out to get TSWV and I am finally getting a few tomatoes. We won't be putting up any tomatoes this year as we are eating them as fast as they ripen. For the past month rain has been abundant and as a result most of the ripening fruit has split too badly to make it and some has just burst. Keeping my fingers crossed as the frequency of the rain has tapered off this past week and I am once again getting a few fruits that are edible. It is getting to that time of year when whiteflies start showing up and they bring in a problem with TYLCV. Last year for the first time in years they didn't infect my late tomatoes and I am hoping they won't this year. Despite the loses with TSWV I now have a fair number of plants of both bell peppers and tomatoes looking fairly good. Now if I can stop the spider mites and the Leaf Footed bugs I'll enjoy the rest of the season.

Bill

[Yak54]

Bill-you are a shining example to the rest of us for how to overcome adversity in our gardening endeavors ! Your experience & wisdom comes from many years fighting Mother Nature and most of the time you are the winner. You're a better man than me my friend. Blessings !

Dan

[slugworth]

“Endeavor to persevere.”

[MrsJustice]

Hang in there everyone, atlast we can eat them as they come in like "b5443e said, Amen!.

[atilgan]

I do not know exactly what disease we have in our community garden but every disease resistant variety I tried last year failed miserably. It looks like TSVW but probably something else. I posted pictures in this thread before. This year I tried Q-series panamourus tomato mix of Joseph Lofthouse. Out of tree that was planted two of them stayed completely healthy and still producing vigorously. Unfortunately tomatoes are like large cherries and the taste is average. Other tomatoes including big beef again died of disease. I will try the seeds I have left from this mix next year to get something that also tastes better.

[MrsJustice]

Hello Atilgan
At less you had a harvest of those Joseph Lofthouse Panamorous Tomatoes that would have been good in any sandwich.

There was something in this New Climate Changes that affected many of my Tomatoes; that I can not blame on TSWV too. Even the Cuostralee Big Heirloom Plants produced just 1 or 2 Large Tomatoes at one time that is growing close to my Home, just saved my Ian's Flooding. So I look forwards the those Small Amount surviving the First Frost for only 2 Tomatoes growing on a healthy looking Plants. Even my Watermelon Plants Produced only "one Very Super Large Watermelon" that took the help of 2 people to bring it from the Farm to an area just to my backyard, Amen!!
I will learn more about Self Fertilization for next Summer. In my Large Farm Plants without protection from the Sun Heat over 100, looking as if TSWV could happen in 24 Hours or overnight..
The Best thing I did was preparing 70% my Heirloom Plants by starting them in January 2022 as the were very Large and producing my Seed inventory for 2023 before the heat killed some plants.

[MrsJustice]

Hurricane Season is Over
and I have my Winter Crops of Greens and Broccoli Still Growing.

Thanks to God Almighty for have the Hurricanes winds to change direction, that made even the Weather Channel Noicing the Miracles here in Hampton Virginia at the Mouth of Fort Monroe where my Historical Farms are Located from the Contraband Slaves that included my Great Grandfather.


It took so long to find the Pure Broccoli Seeds that are Historical and Pure Heirlooms. I am so happy that the Hurricanes and winds did not destroy my Crops this year, Amen!!