We recognize the enemy by sight and effectively fight him: streak of tomatoes and the best methods of treating this scourge

Streak tomatoes are dangerous disease, which can destroy your entire harvest if the necessary measures are not taken in time. The slightest spots on fruits or leaves should alert you. The sooner the virus is detected, the greater the chance of preventing its further spread. In this article we will understand what streaking is and what infected plants look like, and we will look at ways to treat them.

What kind of disease is this

Streak is a viral disease, a type of mosaic.

Translated from English streak is a stripe, from German strich is a stroke. Therefore, tomato streaking is also called banded spotting or streaking.

The photo shows an example of an infected plant, on which the stripes destroying it are clearly visible.

Effect on tomatoes

Streak can reduce the tomato yield by 30-50%, and if the disease is advanced, you can lose the entire crop.

Under the influence of the virus, fruits stop growing and taste deteriorates. Therefore, if it seems to you that outwardly everything is not so bad (you can cut off a small damaged area), but the taste is completely different from what it should be, you should be wary.

Important! The infection penetrates deep into the fruit and remains in the seeds. They are unsuitable for subsequent planting.

Symptoms and external signs: description of damage

The virus affects not only fruits, but also leaves and stems. Reddish to brown spots appear on them. There are small spots on the leaves.Gradually they dry out and become very fragile. Long strips of dead tissue appear on the stems, like cuts.

Green tomatoes become covered with spots of various shapes, which can eventually merge into one large one. Small spots grow into elongated lesions. This leads to cracking of the tomato and complete unsuitability for consumption.

Red ripe or ripening fruits are covered with uneven depressed elongated spots, the tomatoes are deformed and also crack over time.

The photograph clearly shows characteristic spots from tobacco mosaic damage to the fruit.

Causes of appearance and infection

Let's take a closer look at what causes stricken disease in tomatoes.

The causative agent of the disease

There are simple and complex streaks. The first is caused by the tobacco mosaic virus, and the second is caused by a combination of tobacco mosaic with potato F- and X-type viruses or cucumber mosaic.

Greenhouse tomatoes are usually susceptible to this virus, but ground tomatoes do not have expressed immunity to it. The virus penetrates the fetus and begins to destroy it from the inside. Therefore, the most effective measure to get rid of this disease will be its prevention and prevention.

Terms of distribution

The virus is transmitted mechanically. For example, during various garden manipulations with a vegetable: pinching, pinching, etc. The infection is also spread by aphids. Streak development in the plant (incubation period) occurs within 10-14 days.

Low temperature (15-19 degrees), poor lighting and high humidity in the greenhouse - all this contributes to the rapid spread of the disease. Excess nitrogen fertilizers can also stimulate its appearance.

How and with what to treat

Tobacco mosaic virus is very difficult to treat, especially if a large number of plants are already affected. Therefore, it is very important to identify an incipient infection at the initial stage. Infected plants will have to be isolated from the rest and burned.

It is possible to get rid of an already manifested disease only through disinfection greenhouses.

There are several ways:

1. Wet disinfection – After harvesting the remaining crop, it is necessary to eliminate plant remains. Prepare a 5% solution of potassium permanganate and spray all internal surfaces of the greenhouse: tiles on the path, glass and other structures.
2. Soil steaming – During the day, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the greenhouse at 70 degrees (or for two hours at 100 degrees).
3. Biological method - After steaming, spray the soil with gliocladin.
4. Agrotechnical – remove the soil from the greenhouse, mix it with manure and lime (4 kg per 2.5 sq. m). Then spread it into piles 1.5-2 m high and 3 m wide. Leave for 2-3 years.

No matter how complicated these methods may seem, they really help. The virus can persist in the soil for several years, so it is better to immediately take all necessary measures than to suffer from newly appearing signs of the disease every year.

Chemicals

At the initial stage, there is a chance to save tomatoes from the virus. Karbofos is a remedy that prevents the spread of pathogenic organisms. For 10 liters of water you will need 75 g of powder. The diluted composition is applied to shoots and stems. The procedure must be repeated after 10 days. This should be done with healthy plants that are in the same greenhouse as sick ones.

Fungicides can also help at the early stage of the spread of the disease.The most effective drugs are “Maxim” and “Lamador”. Fungicides have a special chemical composition that has a negative effect on most harmful microorganisms.

When using chemicals, it is important not to forget about protective equipment: glasses and gloves. Closed shoes should be worn.

Traditional methods

Tobacco mosaic virus does not tolerate milk proteins well. Therefore, you can use it to wash your hands and garden supplies if you have not yet purchased chemicals.

You can also make this solution: mix 10 liters of water with 1 liter of milk, add 10 drops iodine. Spray the plants with the solution and repeat the procedure after a week. In some recipes, instead of iodine, 1 tbsp is added. a spoonful of urea and 40 g of grated soap.

Since aphids are the carrier of this virus, it is quite advisable to start fighting these insects. Garlic plantings around the perimeter of the tomato bed or Dalmatian chamomile flowers will drive them away.

Agrotechnical techniques

Here is a list of agrotechnical measures to get rid of streak and prevent it:

1. Choosing a place for planting: it should be well lit, not waterlogged, and ventilated.
2. Use for planting only healthy and high-quality seeds.
3. Careful weeding of rows of beds and row spacing.
4. Immediate removal of diseased plants.

Preventive measures

Here is a list of rules that reduce the risk of tomatoes becoming infected with streak:

1. Good lighting is necessary for both seedlings and adult plants.
2. There should be no sudden temperature fluctuations.
3. Soaking the seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate is mandatory.
4. It is important to disinfect the soil with potassium permanganate before planting.
5. Pruning should start with healthy tomatoes.
6. Carry out regular weeding and thorough weed removal.
7. Replace greenhouse soil every year.
8. Treat all garden tools with a 5% solution of potassium permanganate.
9. After contact with an infected plant, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
10. It is not recommended to smoke near plantings: tobacco products can be contaminated, and its particles falling on plants are harmful to them.

Advice from gardeners

Experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the lower leaves after the fruits ripen to improve ventilation.

Regular feeding with solutions containing zinc, manganese, copper and boric acid will have a positive effect on the immunity of tomatoes.

Gardeners from the southern zone of Russia advise growing tomatoes without seedlings: this also helps reduce the chances of mosaic infection.

Conclusion

Tomato streak is a difficult to identify and treat tomato disease. Despite this, there is no need to despair: modern chemicals will help cope with the scourge. You should not ignore traditional methods.

The main thing is to promptly remove diseased plants and constantly carry out preventive measures to prevent infection with tobacco mosaic.