Content
The causes and treatment of tomato chlorosis is the issue that most often worries gardeners when growing this vegetable crop. Since it is this disease that usually first appears on its bushes. It occurs due to incorrect agricultural practices or non-compliance with care recommendations, but if it is detected in time and treatment is started immediately, it is quite possible to get rid of it.
For treatment of chlorosis to be effective, it is necessary to correctly determine the cause of its occurrence.
Can there be chlorosis on tomatoes?
Chlorosis is a common disease that affects many plant crops, and tomatoes are no exception. It can be found on plants cultivated in open ground, as well as in greenhouse conditions. Often the disease is reversible, and if the bushes are only slightly damaged, they can be cured and the harvest can be saved.
Why is chlorosis dangerous?
Treatment of the disease chlorosis on tomatoes, a photo and description of which is presented below, should be carried out immediately after its detection, since it poses a rather great danger to the crop. In cases where the disease is non-infectious, the plant can almost always be saved. Although if the disease starts, the bushes of the crop will weaken greatly and practically stop bearing fruit. In addition, the tomatoes will become tasteless, watery and small.
When tomatoes become infected with viral chlorosis, it is almost impossible to save them. The right decision would be to remove all the bushes from the garden and disinfect the soil.
The viral type of disease is considered the most dangerous for plants
Signs of chlorosis in tomatoes
Based on the main signs of chlorosis of tomatoes and their seedlings, the causes, treatment and type of disease are identified. Although it has several varieties, the symptoms are usually the same.
These include:
- shrinking and yellowing of the tops;
- slow development of ovaries;
- drying of the stems in their upper part;
- death of roots.
Most often, chlorosis is observed due to a deficiency of certain elements in the soil.
Nitric
If the soil lacks nitrogen, then chlorosis is called nitrogen chlorosis. It usually manifests itself as yellowing of the leaf blades. At the initial stage, a change in the color of the veins occurs, but if treatment is not started in time, the entire leaves become yellow. In addition, the bushes stop growing, bloom worse, and the ovaries form poorly. Treatment of the disease is carried out with nitrogenous fertilizers, which should be applied before the second half of July.
The development of nitrogen chlorosis begins in the lower part of the plant
Magnesium chlorosis of tomato leaves
With a lack of magnesium, the leaves turn yellow only along the edges, while their base continues to be green. Plants wither, dry out, lose their leaves, and yields drop. The fight against magnesium chlorosis on tomatoes (photo below) is carried out by reducing the application of nitrogen fertilizers, as well as additional fertilizing with magnesium sulfate.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency can appear on old and young leaf blades
Iron chlorosis of tomatoes
If the level of iron in the soil is insufficient, tomatoes are affected by iron chlorosis. It usually appears on bushes that grow in alkaline soil (pH more than 7) or on poor soil. The disease can be identified by yellow leaves with green streaks.
Iron deficiency in tomatoes often occurs due to excessive liming of the area
Sulfuric
Sulfur-type chlorosis appears on young tomato leaves. First of all, the veins turn yellow, then, if no treatment is carried out, the color of the main tissue changes. If the disease is neglected, the tint of the plates may become reddish. With a lack of sulfur, tomato stems become thin, hard, brittle, develop slowly, and break easily.
Lack of sulfur slows down the metabolic processes occurring in tomato bushes
Zinc
Zinc chlorosis can be recognized by yellow-cream spots on the green mass of the crop, as well as by the slow growth of foliage and its shredding.If left untreated, tomato bushes will lose resistance to drought and heat, and will also begin to suffer from fungal and bacterial diseases.
The veins of leaf blades remain green due to a lack of zinc
Infectious chlorosis of tomatoes
In addition to the fact that there is non-infectious chlorosis of tomatoes, there is also an infectious type, the causative agent of which is viruses developing in plant cells. It usually spreads to bushes from contaminated soil or through dirty garden tools. With this type of disease, yellow blurry blotches appear between the veins of the leaves. First they can be seen on old plates, then they appear on young foliage.
Infectious chlorosis causes the tissues of tomato bushes to dry out and die
Causes
A treatment scenario is chosen based on the causes of tomato chlorosis, as they vary depending on the type of disease. The yellow color of leaf blades and their veins can be caused by:
- high soil acidity;
- stagnation of moisture and poor drainage;
- alkalinity of the earth;
- poor environmental conditions;
- damage to the root system;
- dense planting;
- fungi and viruses.
How to get rid of chlorosis on tomatoes
Treatment of the disease is carried out when it is caused by non-infectious causes. If chlorosis appears due to viruses, then trying to get rid of it is pointless.It is recommended to immediately dig up all the tomato bushes and burn them.
Top dressing
Since the main reason for the appearance of a non-infectious type of disease is the lack of any elements in the soil, its treatment is organized by applying fertilizers. But before this, it is important to carefully examine the bush and, depending on what chlorosis looks like on tomatoes, determine what substance is recommended to be added.
The following solutions are usually used:
- If the crop lacks nitrogen, it is fed with urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and urea. In summer, this type of chlorosis is treated with ammonia (15 g per bucket of water).
- In case of magnesium deficiency, a product based on wood ash is used. To do this, 1 kg of product is dissolved in 10 liters of warm water, filtered and diluted in a ratio of 1:10. 1 liter of fertilizer is used per bush. In the case of acidified soil, dolomite flour is added to the watered beds at the rate of 25 g per square meter. Also, with magnesium chlorosis, spraying tomatoes with magnesium sulfate or potassium magnesium helps.
- In case of iron deficiency, treatment is carried out with a mixture prepared from 1 liter of water, 4 g of iron sulfate and 2.5 g of citric acid. Some gardeners make up for the lack of the element by burying rusty nails in the ground.
- Treatment of tomatoes affected by sulfur chlorosis is carried out with a solution of 10 g of magnesium sulfate diluted in a bucket of water. In the spring, the beds are fertilized with diammophoska or azofoska.
- In case of zinc deficiency, plantings are watered with a product prepared from 5 g of zinc sulfate diluted in 10 liters of water. If the beds are located outside and not in a greenhouse, the dose of the substance can be doubled and the bushes can be sprayed.
Before choosing to feed tomatoes, it is advisable to conduct a study of the composition of the soil.
Other treatments
The disease mainly occurs due to improper organization of agricultural technology. Therefore, its treatment is carried out using secondary methods, namely:
- reduce watering, which waterlogs and acidifies the soil;
- loosen the beds more often, preventing the formation of a crust on the soil surface;
- rationed and nitrogen fertilizers are applied only in spring.
Photos and treatment of chlorosis of tomato seedlings
Not only adult tomatoes, but also seedlings are affected by chlorosis. The causes and treatment of non-infectious illnesses are similar; the disease is eliminated in the standard way.
After a disease, seedlings do not always grow healthy and bear fruit.
Preventive measures
In order to prevent the development of the disease and not to treat already diseased tomatoes, as a preventive measure it is recommended to properly care for the plantings:
- monitor the quality of drainage;
- control the pH level of the soil;
- periodically loosen the beds;
- observe the watering regime;
- Fertilize with complex fertilizers in a timely manner.
To prevent the occurrence of infectious chlorosis, you should always use sterile equipment when working and plant tomatoes on uncontaminated fertile soil.
Conclusion
The causes and treatment of tomato chlorosis depend on several factors. In particular, the disease manifests itself where the soil does not meet the requirements of the plant.If you plant tomatoes in a favorable place, provide them with high-quality care and take preventive measures, the disease is unlikely to make itself felt.
