Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. If your tomatoes show signs of tomato spotted wilt virus, remove them from the garden immediately and dispose of them in the trash. Don’t compost them. The diseased plants can serve as a source of inoculum for other thrips which can acquire the virus and pass it to healthy plants. It is a viral infection, and although some parts of the plant may look healthy, remember that a virus moves throughout the entire infected organism's system. If you want to see some images of this disease, search Aggie horticulture tomato problem solver. You can look at problems by green or ripe fruit, leaves, stems or roots. They give tips on control, too. Using drip irrigation and mulch can help prevent some of the fungal diseases. But those afternoon thunder storms we pray for during drought and high temperatures can promote fungal diseases.
Slowing the Spread of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
