What happened to my tomato?

giblet · January 13, 2017

This *was* my healthiest plant, planted mid-October translated the first week of November. The tomatoes are big and were just about to start ripening.

For the last week or so the plant has been drooping every day, starting early in the day and not perking up again until around dusk. The first day it did this I put a shadecloth over the plant, but it was still droopy during the day. Then, yesterday, it drooped even more during the day and didn't come back once it got dark and is now in the sorry state you see here.

The variety is Tycoon, which is supposed to be resistant to almost everything and be able to handle hot temperatures.

Is this wilt? Too much heat? Temperatures here have been around 90 with 60% humidity.

And what should I do with it? Should I take the tomatoes off and hope they ripen up indoors? They haven't started changing color yet, unfortunately.

KarenO · January 13, 2017

Did the soil dry right out at any point during the hot spell?
KarenO

giblet · January 13, 2017

I don't think so, I've been pretty on top of watering. One issue is that the watering is inconsistent because we've been having random heavy rainfall that are unpredictable.

(So sometimes there might have been too much water)

giblet · January 14, 2017

It's gotten worse. I am assuming I should pull this plant out. Do you agree? Unfortunately two more plants are showing signs of whatever this is. Is it possible this is from too much water?

The immature fruit is starting to wrinkle:

Cheryl2017 · January 14, 2017

Would be interesting to see what the roots look like

GrowingCoastal · January 14, 2017

Awww. Sad. You have my condolences.

Gerardo · January 14, 2017

Pull it, inspect the roots, slice the stem and investigate. One of the wilts is afflicting your plants, my $ is on bacterial because of how generalized it is, and because its spreading, and the heat + wet being factors. Tough break.

Cole_Robbie · January 14, 2017

Wilt Diseases
of Tomatoes

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0797/ANR-0797.pdf

gorbelly · January 14, 2017

+1 on bacterial wilt.

My Cherokee Purples went down suddenly in Aug, which is the height of tomato harvest for me, this past year and looked exactly like that. Started with the youngest leaves being "soft" in hot weather, then the whole plant suddenly wilted and wouldn't recover at night.

Although I didn't get the diagnostic white ooze, BW was the most likely culprit given the rapid collapse of the plant without a lot of yellowing/browning first and the fact that it happened during hot temps. It was in a new bed, too, which was strange.

Unfortunately, there aren't any varieties that are more than "somewhat" resistant to BW. This year, I may experiment with grafting plants onto resistant rootstock.

b54red · January 15, 2017

It looks just like when bacterial wilt takes down a tomato plant here. I know of nothing that will stop it once it starts.

Bill

gorbelly · January 15, 2017

IMO, the dead giveaway is the lack of discoloration before collapse. The entire plant stays green but just goes down. No pervasive yellowing, no real leaf lesions (unless another pest or disease is also present).

I believe BW is an established problem in SE Asia.

b54red · January 16, 2017

The last two year I have been using RST-04-106-T root stock for my grafting and have not had a single case of Bacterial Wilt with these grafts. The other root stock are not as lucky. This is just anecdotal so I'm not sure how strong a resistance it has but it does seem to have some at least so far. Be my luck this year BW will take down half of them.

Bill

gorbelly · January 16, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

The last two year I have been using RST-04-106-T root stock for my grafting and have not had a single case of Bacterial Wilt with these grafts. The other root stock are not as lucky. This is just anecdotal so I'm not sure how strong a resistance it has but it does seem to have some at least so far. Be my luck this year BW will take down half of them.

Bill

There's at least one study that backs up your observations. http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/.../47/5/621.full

BigVanVader · January 17, 2017

I lost 40 plants last year to the same thing, I'd bet $ its Bacterial Wilt. It tends to hit right before or at the start of ripening.

gorbelly · January 17, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

I lost 40 plants last year to the same thing, I'd bet $ its Bacterial Wilt. It tends to hit right before or at the start of ripening.

I got to harvest the first big wave of fruit set (ripened on the vine) before the plants went down, but I'm a bit north of you. It happens when the soil gets warm enough for the bacteria to get happy. Where that is vis a vis harvest depends on geography and the kind of season you're having.

January 13, 2017	#1
giblet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Cambodia Posts: 25	What happened to my tomato? This was my healthiest plant, planted mid-October translated the first week of November. The tomatoes are big and were just about to start ripening. For the last week or so the plant has been drooping every day, starting early in the day and not perking up again until around dusk. The first day it did this I put a shadecloth over the plant, but it was still droopy during the day. Then, yesterday, it drooped even more during the day and didn't come back once it got dark and is now in the sorry state you see here. The variety is Tycoon, which is supposed to be resistant to almost everything and be able to handle hot temperatures. Is this wilt? Too much heat? Temperatures here have been around 90 with 60% humidity. And what should I do with it? Should I take the tomatoes off and hope they ripen up indoors? They haven't started changing color yet, unfortunately.

January 13, 2017	#3
giblet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Cambodia Posts: 25	I don't think so, I've been pretty on top of watering. One issue is that the watering is inconsistent because we've been having random heavy rainfall that are unpredictable. (So sometimes there might have been too much water) Last edited by giblet; January 13, 2017 at 11:29 PM.

January 13, 2017	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	Did the soil dry right out at any point during the hot spell? KarenO

January 14, 2017	#4
giblet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Cambodia Posts: 25	It's gotten worse. I am assuming I should pull this plant out. Do you agree? Unfortunately two more plants are showing signs of whatever this is. Is it possible this is from too much water? The immature fruit is starting to wrinkle:

January 14, 2017	#5
Cheryl2017 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: san antonio, texas Posts: 173	Would be interesting to see what the roots look like

January 14, 2017	#6
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	Awww. Sad. You have my condolences.

January 14, 2017	#7
Gerardo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: San Diego-Tijuana Posts: 2,594	Pull it, inspect the roots, slice the stem and investigate. One of the wilts is afflicting your plants, my $ is on bacterial because of how generalized it is, and because its spreading, and the heat + wet being factors. Tough break.

January 14, 2017	#8
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Wilt Diseases of Tomatoes http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0797/ANR-0797.pdf

January 14, 2017	#9
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	+1 on bacterial wilt. My Cherokee Purples went down suddenly in Aug, which is the height of tomato harvest for me, this past year and looked exactly like that. Started with the youngest leaves being "soft" in hot weather, then the whole plant suddenly wilted and wouldn't recover at night. Although I didn't get the diagnostic white ooze, BW was the most likely culprit given the rapid collapse of the plant without a lot of yellowing/browning first and the fact that it happened during hot temps. It was in a new bed, too, which was strange. Unfortunately, there aren't any varieties that are more than "somewhat" resistant to BW. This year, I may experiment with grafting plants onto resistant rootstock.

January 15, 2017	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	It looks just like when bacterial wilt takes down a tomato plant here. I know of nothing that will stop it once it starts. Bill

January 16, 2017	#12
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	The last two year I have been using RST-04-106-T root stock for my grafting and have not had a single case of Bacterial Wilt with these grafts. The other root stock are not as lucky. This is just anecdotal so I'm not sure how strong a resistance it has but it does seem to have some at least so far. Be my luck this year BW will take down half of them. Bill

January 17, 2017	#14
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I lost 40 plants last year to the same thing, I'd bet $ its Bacterial Wilt. It tends to hit right before or at the start of ripening.