Tomato Pillar

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Stolbur can affect not only tomatoes, but also eggplants, potatoes and peppers, as well as many weeds. Stolbur also has one more name - phytoplasmosis. To a lesser extent, standard varieties are susceptible to this scourge. And especially large losses of tomatoes will be with their defeat in the early stages. The harmfulness of this disease lies in a decrease in yield and a deterioration in the marketability of tomatoes

A few words about the disease

The first signs of this ailment appear on tomato leaves. They acquire a pinkish tint, leaf blades become coarser and smaller, and their edges are bent upward. Sometimes the leaves can be painted in blue-violet shades. In this case, the stems of plants may thicken slightly. As the column develops, all the leaves of tomatoes are affected by chlorosis, quickly fade and subsequently fall off. Many cracks form on the surface of the roots, and their tissues become very lignified.

The flower clusters begin to grow upward. At the same time, the flower petals turn green and shrink, and the cups grow together, becoming like bells. Flowers in plants often become sterile.

Lignified tomato fruits are characterized by an uneven color. Their flesh quickly becomes whitish, hard and tasteless, and a highly developed white vascular tissue can be seen in the sections.

The causative agent of the stolbur is phytoplasma. She hibernates in the rhizomes of affected perennials and weeds, especially often her wintering is observed on crops such as elderberry, St. John's wort, plantain, thistle, bindweed and a number of others.

The spread of a malicious virus occurs mainly by leafhoppers. By feeding on infected weeds for two to seven days in the spring, they become capable of transmitting the infection to surrounding tomatoes.

How to fight

It is important to immediately eliminate infected vegetation with manifestations of stolbur from the sites. The same should be done with weeds, which must be removed even from the aisles. This is especially true of the field bindweed. It is systematically necessary to carry out spraying against aphids and various leaf-eating insects.

The cultivation of tomato seedlings should be taken as responsibly as possible. In the process of growing it is recommended to treat it twice with "Mospilan", "Confidor" or "Aktara". First, the treatment is carried out 25-30 days after sowing the seedlings, and then immediately before planting in a permanent place. A week before planting seedlings, it is useful to treat the soil with a selective herbicide called "Stomp". Watering of growing crops should be regular. After them, it is recommended to thoroughly loosen the soil.

Growing tomatoes are allowed to be sprayed with such insecticides as "Karate Zeon" and "Aktara". They do an excellent job of killing leafhoppers when they begin to appear in the open field. And in seedling greenhouses, it is recommended to process crops with these means before planting them in the ground. Also, in the fight against leafhoppers, Fury, Arrivo, Decis, Fastak, Tsitkor, Aktellik and Fufanon are excellent helpers. And in order to limit the years of these pests, various curtain crops (for example, sunflowers or corn) are often sown around the sites.

For prophylactic purposes, it is recommended to treat the areas with "Pharmayod" twice with an interval of eight to twelve days. It is best to do this in the second half of June and in July, in the first half of the month.

If about 20 - 30% of the vegetation is affected by the disease, then twice, also observing an interval of 8 - 12 days, the tomatoes are sprayed with a bactericide called Phytoplasmin. And four days after the application of this drug under the roots of plants, it is recommended to add "Extrasol" - a bacterial drug that helps to restore the soil microflora suppressed by the bactericide.