The Disease That Causes the Young Leaves of a Tomato to Die

Anthracnose

• Anthracnose infection is just one of the diseases that can cause the leaves of a tomato plant to die. You will notice this more in humid weather than in dry since it is a fungus. If your tomato plants have anthracnose, you may begin to notice spots on the leaves that are gray, yellow or tan. Remove any diseased plant to prevent the fungus from spreading. Fortunately, there are ways that you can prevent your plants from getting this disease. The first is to start with plants that are disease resistant. Another way is to water the roots of the tomatoes, not the leaves. Keeping the leaves dry will help prevent the fungus from spreading.

Tobacco Mosaic Virus

• Exposure to tobacco causes the mosaic virus. This virus can stay on your hands after smoking. Symptoms of the tobacco virus on new leaves include curling leaf edges or a mixture of yellow and green colors on one leaf. Any infected plants need immediate removal from the garden. If you are a smoker, prevent this disease by washing your hands thoroughly before touching your plants and do not smoke or toss your butts into the garden soil.

Fusarium Wilt

• When any type of wilt affects a tomato plant, the plant cannot absorb water, which causes leaves, especially newer ones, to shrivel up and die. You will notice signs first on the bottom leaves of the plant. They will wilt and turn yellow because of the lack of water. Remove any diseased plant. A couple of ways to prevent fusarium wilt is to water with a soaker hose instead of a regular hose, which might get water on the leaves; provide proper drainage for your tomatoes; and plant disease-resistant varieties.

Verticillium Wilt

• Another wilt disease is verticillium. This also prevents the leaves from absorbing water. The cause of this is because of a fungus that lives in the soil. After longer periods of cool weather, the fungus rejuvenates and begins to grow and attack the leaves of the plant. Another way to prevent verticillium wilt is to rotate your crops each year.