There are many different types of tomato plant diseases, some of which are more devastating to tomato crops than others. Tomato plant diseases can be divided into four broad categories, with some anomalous or miscellaneous diseases forming a smaller fifth category. These categories are as follows: fungal diseases, bacterial diseases, viral diseases and parasitic diseases. The fifth category of miscellaneous diseases and disorders includes three genetic disorders: autogenous necrosis, fruit pox and gold fleck; and graywall, the origin of which is still unknown. Of these categories, fungal diseases have the largest variety of strains.
Tomato plant diseases can occur both in the foliage (leaves) and on the fruit itself. In the foliage, one of the more common problems that tomato growers have is early blight. The symptoms of early blight include dark spots with numerous surrounding rings. This occurs on older leaves first. The spread of early blight can be avoided by removing any affected plants from the crop. Gray leaf spot is another common example of the tomato plant diseases. Predictably, this results in small dark spots appearing on the top of and underneath the leaves. It is caused by overly warm or moist conditions, but certain varieties of plant are resistant to it.
As for tomato plant diseases which affect the fruit of the plant, among the more common is anthracnose. This is a fungal infection which rots the fruit. When victim to anthracnose, the tomato fruit will swell, and the centre will begin to darken. Fruits are particularly vulnerable to anthracnose if they are overripe, and exposed to wet soil. Another of the tomato plant diseases to affect the fruit is buckeye rot. This is particularly common in the southern United States, and also results in the rotting, but not darkening, of the fruit.
Tomato plant diseases are fairly common, and too often have ruined entire crops of tomatoes. However, the key to avoiding large-scale infection is to identify those plants which are suffering from tomato plant diseases, and to quickly remove them from the crop. Be sure to also catch any parts of the plant which have fallen to the ground. Also, try to choose particular plants which are resistant to most strains of disease. This way, you should be able to relax. Enjoy tomatoes, whether you’re farming or gardening, and ensure that you have a healthy and delicious tomato harvest every year.