Possible Curley Top Virus

[GoDawgs]

Over the past few days I've noticed that the top leaves of the regular tomatoes are curling upwards and the petioles are drooping down. Some veins on the back starting to show a slight purple tinge. After a lot of online research looking at various extension cites and science reports I think the problem is Curley Top Virus. Classic symptoms. Not spotted wilt as there are no spots or flecks on the leaves. After noticing the first onset I now see that all 17 tomatoes are affected. I'm now watching to see if the plants cease upward growth as CTV will stunt them. Interestingly, none of the five dwarf plants are affected so far. All tomatoes were planted out the same day.

CTV's sole cause are beet leaf hoppers who mainly feed on Russian thistle and wild mustard but who will also sample anything else nearby. Tomatoes are on the list of plants mostly affected. Not having been mowed since fall, the neighboring pasture is full of thistle so I suspect that's the source as we've never had this problem before. It's hard to blame the new owners as they're still building their house and only come out to check on things on weekends. They're both in the medical field and don't have a lot of time to spare. However the previous owner kept the fields mowed regularly, especially during the spring flush of weeds. I imagine the new folks (nice as can be!) will be doing more mowing once they've settled in. They did a great job in the fall.

There is no cure for CTV and there are no resistant tomato varieties. Tomorrow I will take and send photos to my Extension folks for confirmation (or not). My biggest question is if I can replant tomatoes in the same soil in the buckets. I'm hoping so as I've read that tomato farmers just till everything under when their crops are devastated by this. If I can't, that will be a huge disaster. I have some potting soil left from those two loads bought this spring but can't get more as they're now out of business. Not enough soil left to refill all buckets.

Meanwhile today I'll be starting one each of the 17 varieties out there and hope they all make a lot before frost if I have to use them.

No pics today (too gloomy out there); maybe tomorrow.

[PlainJane]

Yikes! I sure hope things work out for you to get a tomato crop. Tough news.

[MissS]

Not a good thing to get. I'm sorry to hear that.

You should have plenty of time to start seeds and still get a crop. The only thing against you is the heat so you will be getting in a fall crop.

[GoDawgs]

I got do-overs sown this morning.

Here are a few photos. If I move the camera closer or try to enlarge the images they get a bit fuzzy.





Maybe the eggplant now?



Still can't get over the dwarfs not showing any problem.... yet.

[AZGardener]

Oh no, sorry to hear you've lost some plants.
Another thing to consider is herbicide drift.
Here's an article and the 3rd pic shows damage from 2-4 D.
It happened to me one year, and I lost all of my melons.
http://extension.msstate.edu/publicatio ... e-tomatoes

[MissS]

Another disease to consider is Tomato Little Leaf. I can't zoom in on your pics to see if it might be it. The tops of the plants become curly and new growth will have chlorosis. This disease was first found in GA and FL.

[GoDawgs]

So far there's no chlorosis and there's zero spraying being done in the area. Nothing to spray but woods and pastures. But thanks, @AZGardener for that link. I will put that one on file just in case the highway folks decide to spray rights of way.

It's another gloomy, drippy day so not a day for photos. Maybe I'll cut off a top and lay it on some white paper. That will be the best I can do.

I did get all varieties started again yesterday morning so will have transplants in four weeks. Meanwhile I need to e-mail the Extension Service.

[GoDawgs]

OK, I took cuttings from three plants and brought them inside to get better pics. I've e-mailed them to the local Extension person and offered to drop by with the cuttings if they need the vegetative samples for testing.

[Seven Bends]

I know you've already researched this thoroughly and you certainly know your way around a garden, so I apologize in advance if this not helpful. But if I had those symptoms (your new pictures) in my garden, my immediate thought would be herbicide damage. You said there's been no spraying, but the herbicide could be in the soil you purchased. If you haven't already, it would be a good idea to plant some bean seeds in the same soil the tomatoes are in, to see if the leaves exhibit these symptoms. Or you could put a new tomato seedling in there to see what happens. If it exhibits symptoms also, it's unlikely to be curly top.

My reading about curly top tells me that it's unusual for all tomatoes in a planting to be affected by it; usually it is spotty, with some plants affected and others not, due to the leafhopper transmission route. In contrast, all the tomatoes would be affected by herbicide in the soil.

What do you have planted in the same soil (same load/purchase date) that is not exhibiting symptoms? Did you add any amendment to the tomatoes but not to the other plantings?

I'm not saying it's NOT curly top; it certainly could be. Only that I had herbicide damage one year that looked exactly like your new pictures.

Also just want to say I'm so sorry this has shown up in your garden, whatever it turns out to be.

[karstopography]

https://theprepared.com/blog/aminopyral ... g-problem/

Aminopyralid damage, that’s what I see in the photos shared. Aminopyralid is in widespread usage, is persistent, and finds its way into gardens in a number of ways. Tomatoes are super susceptible.

[GoDawgs]

@Seven Bends , no need to apologize! That's a good thought. I've been buying this compost from the same outfit for years with no problems. Still, it only takes one time for a bad component of the compost to slip through. I will put some beans in a bucket that has no tomato plant in it and also a few in one of the buckets that does have a tomato in it. Currently there is another bucket that has an okra that came up a few days ago so I will watch that too. This soil went into buckets right off the back of the pickup with no amendments added.

@karstopography, those pics sure look similar to what mine have. The only thing I don't see is the drooping petioles. If the beans I'm going to plant show the same problem I'll have to see who can test the soil. Maybe the Extension. So thanks for that input!

[Wildcat82]

I thought I had curly top virus but now I'm pretty sure it was broad mites since some of my plants have gotten much better with continuous spraying. That wouldn't happen if I had curly top. The University of Georgia reports this about broad mite damage:

"Much of this can be easily confused with viral disease, micronutrient deficiency, or herbicide injury. Fruit may be deformed, split, or russeted. Infestations in pepper can cause a bronzing of terminal growth and are frequently associated with a characteristic ‘s’-shaped twisting of the main stem in leaves. Damage may appear for weeks after the mites have been controlled, and when combined with the difficulty in detecting mites, makes evaluation of control measures difficult and has likely led to reports of control failures."

https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/e ... d_mite.pdf

[GoDawgs]

I thought I had curly top virus but now I'm pretty sure it was broad mites since some of my plants have gotten much better with continuous spraying. That wouldn't happen if I had curly top. The University of Georgia reports this about broad mite damage:

"Much of this can be easily confused with viral disease, micronutrient deficiency, or herbicide injury. Fruit may be deformed, split, or russeted. Infestations in pepper can cause a bronzing of terminal growth and are frequently associated with a characteristic ‘s’-shaped twisting of the main stem in leaves. Damage may appear for weeks after the mites have been controlled, and when combined with the difficulty in detecting mites, makes evaluation of control measures difficult and has likely led to reports of control failures."

https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/e ... d_mite.pdf

@Wildcat82 , thanks for that info!

Since it will take the new tomatoes 4 weeks to get to transplant size I decided to let the problem plants keep growing in the buckets and watch. Several are setting fruit (Super Sweet 100, Amish Orange and one other) and we'll see if they do indeed develop properly. There are also a squash and a watermelon that were transplanted into buckets of the same compost and so far they seem to be OK. Need to get those bean seeds planted as I keep forgetting.

[Seven Bends]

I thought I had curly top virus but now I'm pretty sure it was broad mites since some of my plants have gotten much better with continuous spraying. That wouldn't happen if I had curly top. The University of Georgia reports this about broad mite damage:

"Much of this can be easily confused with viral disease, micronutrient deficiency, or herbicide injury. Fruit may be deformed, split, or russeted. Infestations in pepper can cause a bronzing of terminal growth and are frequently associated with a characteristic ‘s’-shaped twisting of the main stem in leaves. Damage may appear for weeks after the mites have been controlled, and when combined with the difficulty in detecting mites, makes evaluation of control measures difficult and has likely led to reports of control failures."

https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/e ... d_mite.pdf

@Wildcat82 , thanks for that info!

Since it will take the new tomatoes 4 weeks to get to transplant size I decided to let the problem plants keep growing in the buckets and watch. Several are setting fruit (Super Sweet 100, Amish Orange and one other) and we'll see if they do indeed develop properly. There are also a squash and a watermelon that were transplanted into buckets of the same compost and so far they seem to be OK. Need to get those bean seeds planted as I keep forgetting.

The fact that you have healthy squash and watermelon plants is further support for the idea that you're dealing with aminopyralid herbicide contamination. Cucurbits are among the few plant groups not affected by aminopyralids (grasses also).

Glad to hear your tomatoes are setting fruit. Are new leaves being affected as much as the earlier growth?

[Wildcat82]

I thought I had curly top virus but now I'm pretty sure it was broad mites since some of my plants have gotten much better with continuous spraying. That wouldn't happen if I had curly top. The University of Georgia reports this about broad mite damage:

"Much of this can be easily confused with viral disease, micronutrient deficiency, or herbicide injury. Fruit may be deformed, split, or russeted. Infestations in pepper can cause a bronzing of terminal growth and are frequently associated with a characteristic ‘s’-shaped twisting of the main stem in leaves. Damage may appear for weeks after the mites have been controlled, and when combined with the difficulty in detecting mites, makes evaluation of control measures difficult and has likely led to reports of control failures."

https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/e ... d_mite.pdf

@Wildcat82 , thanks for that info!

Since it will take the new tomatoes 4 weeks to get to transplant size I decided to let the problem plants keep growing in the buckets and watch. Several are setting fruit (Super Sweet 100, Amish Orange and one other) and we'll see if they do indeed develop properly. There are also a squash and a watermelon that were transplanted into buckets of the same compost and so far they seem to be OK. Need to get those bean seeds planted as I keep forgetting.

The fact that you have healthy squash and watermelon plants is further support for the idea that you're dealing with aminopyralid herbicide contamination. Cucurbits are among the few plant groups not affected by aminopyralids (grasses also).

Glad to hear your tomatoes are setting fruit. Are new leaves being affected as much as the earlier growth?

I didn't know that. Good Catch!

But I wouldn't discount broad mites. My volunteer pumpkins aren't affected at all but broad mites attacked my tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant for me this spring. Broad mites often don't distribute themselves uniformly across my backyard. They may congregate in one area or be widely distributed. Three years ago all my tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers were badly affected but my neighbor had perfect tomato production no more than 30 yards from my plants.

Broad mites are insidious for several reasons:
- Symptoms show up weeks after the plants are infested. By the time you see damage, it probably is too late.
- Unlike spider mites, broad mites attack buds and new growth
- Broad mites come and go quickly. When sent to a lab for analysis, its common to find no broad mites at all.
- Broad mites like high humidity and temperatures in the 70's to mid 80's i.e. spring weather here. Young plants attacked by broad mites are toast but larger plants might survive to produce a few fruit.
- Several commercial marijuana growers have reported that broad mites are "10 times more destructive than spider mites" and "broad mites are 10 times harder to control than spider mites.) Based on my experience, I completely agree.

It's possible broad mites briefly attacked your plants then moved on. If so, your plants may be able to produce some fruit.

I've spent probably a hundred hours researching broad mites because they are a complete show stopper here. God I hope you don't have to deal with these microscopic devils.

[Wildcat82]

I thought I had curly top virus but now I'm pretty sure it was broad mites since some of my plants have gotten much better with continuous spraying. That wouldn't happen if I had curly top. The University of Georgia reports this about broad mite damage:

"Much of this can be easily confused with viral disease, micronutrient deficiency, or herbicide injury. Fruit may be deformed, split, or russeted. Infestations in pepper can cause a bronzing of terminal growth and are frequently associated with a characteristic ‘s’-shaped twisting of the main stem in leaves. Damage may appear for weeks after the mites have been controlled, and when combined with the difficulty in detecting mites, makes evaluation of control measures difficult and has likely led to reports of control failures."

https://extension.uga.edu/content/dam/e ... d_mite.pdf

@Wildcat82 , thanks for that info!

Since it will take the new tomatoes 4 weeks to get to transplant size I decided to let the problem plants keep growing in the buckets and watch. Several are setting fruit (Super Sweet 100, Amish Orange and one other) and we'll see if they do indeed develop properly. There are also a squash and a watermelon that were transplanted into buckets of the same compost and so far they seem to be OK. Need to get those bean seeds planted as I keep forgetting.

For whatever reason, my green beans directly adjacent to my tomatoes were unaffected by broad mites. But the long beans I planted were horribly affected. Check my grow log (26 April 2023) for pictures of my affected long beans.

[Labradors]

GoDawgs. So sorry you are having to go through this - whatever it does turn out to be. Hang in there!

Linda

[Cranraspberry]

I’m also having some issues with one of my plants, a Beauty King. We’re in a community garden that’s technically supposed to be organic, so spraying is unlikely. It did have significant physiological leaf roll on the bottom leaves from day 1, so part of me is hoping it’s just being dramatic, but pretty concerned about possible viral issues. I walked around the community garden yesterday and did see some other plants that looked similar, not sure if that’s a bad sign or a good one.

70699142425__CEFCA9F6-A4A9-4AF9-B04E-708E3689DB1B.jpeg

[Shule]

…
There is no cure for CTV and there are no resistant tomato varieties. …

There are resistant varieties. They've bred a number of them in Idaho. The Payette tomato is an example (it's a dwarf).

While I've never seen curly top virus in my garden, to my knowledge, I'm guessing the reason they bred resistant varieties here is because the sugar beet industry is pretty big here.

[Shule]

Here's a list of varieties that Cucurbit.info says are Curly Top Virus resistant:

- Bicentennial
- Columbian
- Ida Red
- Owyhee
- Parma
- Payette
- Red Lode
- Rowpac
- Roza
- Saladmaster
- Super Star