Content
There are many diseases that affect tomato plants and lead to their death. Compared to them, aspermia in tomatoes does not look so terrible, but it does no less harm. Therefore, if symptoms of the disease are detected, you should immediately begin treatment.
Description of aspermia in tomatoes
Aspermia is a viral disease that mainly affects adult tomato bushes. It is also known as bushiness of the top of tomatoes. It manifests itself in a slowdown in the development of tomatoes and a decrease in their yield. When affected, not all plantings suffer, but only some bushes.
The disease is little known, so vegetable growers cannot immediately understand what happened to the tomatoes
Reasons for appearance
Most often, the tomato aspermia virus enters the area together with vectors. They are cicadas, whiteflies and aphids. In addition, the disease can be transmitted from an infected bush to a healthy plant. However, it is not always possible to understand that it is affected.
The carriers can be grasses that enter the area as animal feed or mulch. In addition, the causative agent of the disease may be in soil that was brought from another place.
Almost all strains lack resistance to adverse weather conditions. This explains that the tomato disease aspermia occurs mainly in the southern regions. In areas with cold climates, this disease is not common.
Failure to follow recommendations for caring for tomatoes significantly increases the chance of the disease appearing and developing. It is worth monitoring the amount of watering. Excessive moisture in the soil creates favorable conditions for the development of aspermia.
Signs and symptoms
The development of aspermia disease in tomatoes is slow. At the initial stages, signs can only be detected on single bushes. If you do not pay attention to the symptoms in a timely manner and do not take appropriate treatment measures, the disease will spread to all plants in the immediate vicinity.
Symptoms of infection differ depending on what stage of growth the bushes were in at the time of infection. You can tell that the seedlings are sick by the fact that fruits do not form after flowering. If the damage occurs at the time of fruit formation, then the main symptom is a small harvest. In this case, the tomatoes will be deformed in shape and there will be no seeds inside.
In addition, tomatoes affected by aspermia have other signs:
- weakened and pale stem;
- increased bushiness of the top of the plant;
- rapid growth and development of axillary shoots, but they are underdeveloped;
- mosaic patterns can be found on the leaves;
- There are few flowers, they become deformed and grow together.
If measures are not taken in time, there may be no harvest or the bush will die.
Treatment of aspermia in tomatoes
There are no drugs to treat tomato aspermia. Therefore, it will not be possible to save infected bushes.In this case, treatment means getting rid of sick plants and saving healthy plants. The main thing is to stop the spread of the virus in the area as soon as possible. The action algorithm for detecting aspermia on bushes consists of the following steps:
- Uproot and burn all affected plants.
- Remove and burn all plant mulch.
- Treat the remaining tomato bushes with an insecticidal solution.
- Separate tomatoes from ornamental plants.
After digging, affected tomatoes must be stored in a tightly closed bag. This will help prevent insect infections.
The virus that causes the disease lives in the soil for some time. Therefore, it is mandatory to treat the land with a solution of a systemic synthetic fungicidal drug.
In areas where there were affected plants, the soil must be replaced after burning. To do this, you need to remove the top layer by about 20-30 cm.
When treating tomatoes for aspermia, it is worth paying great attention to the fight against insects that carry the infection. Immediately after detecting a sign of damage, it is necessary to treat the bushes with a solution of insecticidal preparations. The products Komandor, Aktara, Corado, Iskra, etc. have a good effect. Before use, you must carefully read the instructions in order to prevent undesirable consequences. It is recommended to carry out treatments in the evening, after the end of the bees' summer.
In addition, traditional methods can be used to control pests. Soap solution, infusions of ash, garlic, etc. have a good effect.
In addition, all weeds should be removed from the site. In addition to infection, it may contain pathogens.
It is not recommended to dry infected tomato leaves before burning them.
Prevention of aspermia in tomatoes
According to reviews and photos of aspermia on tomato seedlings, their treatment requires a lot of effort and time. Therefore, it is much easier to prevent such situations.
Standard preventive measures will help in the fight against many other diseases:
- The most important thing is to disinfect the soil and seeds before planting. It is necessary to comply with the watering norm. Excessive soil moisture opens the way for many viruses.
- It is important to adhere to the rules of crop rotation. It is not recommended to plant seedlings in place of peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes. Do not allow chrysanthemums and asters to grow nearby. The virus accumulates in them.
- When carrying out work on the site, you should use only disinfected tools.
It is worth washing greenhouses periodically with soapy water. You should regularly inspect all plants on the site for signs of damage.
Conclusion
Aspermia in tomatoes is a viral disease that cannot be treated. The only way to get rid of it is to destroy all affected plants on the site. To prevent its occurrence, it is worth following simple measures aimed at its prevention.
