What does tomato stolbur look like and how to treat the disease?

During the period of growing cultivated plants in the gardens in the summer, there is a chance to see some specimens diseased. Plants, just like animals, can be attacked by various viruses and bacteria. One of these diseases is stolbur, in particular tomato stolbur.

Tomato stump is a viral disease of tomatoes in which the plant dies or produces tasteless fruits.... This disease is caused by parasitic bacteria of the phytoplasma genus. Another name for stolbur is phytoplasmosis. With such an ailment, the fruits look ugly, have a different color than healthy ones, and have a bad taste, moreover, they are tough and strong. The disease is spread by insects, mainly cicadas.

The main cause of the occurrence of stolbur is the transmission of the virus by cicadas, including the slobbery penny. When growing tomatoes in open ground, this insect can lay larvae on the roots of plants that will winter there. In May, the active appearance of the cicadas themselves from the larvae begins, and it lasts 2-2.5 months. During this time, these insects manage to infect new plants, laying the larvae on them as well.

Parasites brought by insects live well on plants, feeding on their milky sap. They secrete a sticky substance that envelops the entire plant. The parasites themselves do not critically affect the life of the plant, but after a couple of days, thanks to them, spots of the Aspergillus fungus are formed on the foliage. Its structure clogs the pores of the plant. This interferes with photosynthesis, which leads to wilting of the leaves and, as a result, the death of the entire plant.

Signs Infection of a plant with this virus can be seen on the physiological changes in the fruit and the stem itself. First of all, the leaves and sometimes the stems become purple, pinkish or blue in color. Leaves begin to curl, internal organs such as pistils and stamens begin to dry out. The stem and roots begin to harden. Sometimes you can notice its obvious thickening. And also at the roots appear numerous cracks and too brown bark.

The fruits begin to change shape and harden. In the section, you can see the white vascular tissue, which is greatly increased in size. The taste disappears. Productivity begins to fall, to the point that the plant becomes completely infertile.

Treatment is mainly required for tomatoes growing outdoors. It is this condition that creates the risk of infection. Those specimens that are grown in a greenhouse, as a rule, do not become infected with this disease due to the fact that cicadas simply cannot get to them and lay the larvae.

So, there are several types of struggle with the stolbur, namely:

• agrotechnical;
• chemical;
• folk.

It is worth dealing with each separately.

One of the options for how to deal with phytoplasmosis, Is to use the agrotechnical method. It differs in that it uses methods that do not harm either the environment or the plants themselves. First of all, it is the fight against weeds or, more simply, weeds.They are accumulators of bacteria that can be easily transferred by cicadas to tomatoes.

And you can also grow special varieties of plants, namely tolerant ones. These are varieties that are almost immune to any specific disease. Plants of these varieties can become infected with stolbur, but they will not change their properties. Another option is to plant protective or backstage crops. Their role, as the name suggests, is to protect the main crop. Curtain plants can be corn, sunflower, rye, peas and some others.

This method of control consists in the use of chemicals to destroy the main vectors of the infection - cicadas. With the help of special chemicals, such as "Fitolavin", "Fitoplasmin" and others, the soil is cultivated, on which sowing is planned... Moreover, this should take place within a time frame depending on the funds. So, some drugs are ready to kill existing larvae, some play a preventive role. The disadvantages of this method are that you need to understand exactly which drugs are worth using.

All of the above methods are known and successfully applied in the modern world. However, this was not always the case; people came up with and promoted their own ways of fighting. Now they are already called folk, but they are still successfully used by many gardeners. One of these popular methods is a solution of tar soap. For him you will need:

• a piece of soap made from birch tar, crushed on a grater;
• 10 liter capacity;
• a little sugar.

The soap is poured into a container with 3 liters of boiling water. 3 tablespoons of sugar are added there. The resulting solution is mixed well. It is used by conventional spraying 1 time in 5 days during the growing season of tomatoes.

Another solution is a tincture of garlic and tobacco. It uses the following ingredients:

• 200 g minced garlic;
• 100 g of tobacco;
• detergent;
• container with a volume of 3 liters.

Pour boiling water over tobacco and garlic and leave in a warm place for a day. After the mixture is infused, a detergent is added, about the size of a cap. Use with a spray bottle. From the moment of planting seedlings in the ground, they are sprayed 1 time every week.

Serum solution with added iodine was also successful. You will need:

• 5 l of milk whey;
• sugar;
• iodine.

The serum is heated to a temperature of 40 degrees. Then add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 30 drops of iodine. The desired solution is obtained. Spraying of affected leaves is done 2-3 times a week. It is worth noting the fact that dog shampoo helps in the fight against cicadas.... It does not harm the plant, but it kills phytoplasmic parasites well. So, there are quite a few methods of dealing with the virus. In order to correctly decide which method is best to treat plants, you need to carefully read each of them and compare them with the conditions in which the treatment will be carried out.

It is important to note the fact that with a strong infection of plants with a virus, in most cases they cannot be treated. That is why it is important to pay considerable attention to the prevention of this disease. It is necessary to carry out the following preventive measures in advance.

• Spraying with repellents. These are drugs that are used to prevent stolbur. Moreover, they are used from the day the seeds are planted in the ground.
• Autumn digging of soil. An important stage in the fall, which will prevent the cicada larvae from multiplying next year. It is also a good idea to add copper sulfate and wood ash to the soil.
• Plant feeding. By itself, feeding performs the task of increasing the quality and quantity of the crop, but it also strengthens the immunity of plants. Due to this, the plant's risk of getting sick is reduced, even if the parasite is trying to harm.
• Weed cleaning.This helps to get rid of possible pest larvae, which can later be transferred to cultivated plants.
• Regular burning of old foliage and grass. This will help kill parasites that may be on older plants.
• Using tap water. It is usually disinfected and ready to use. Water from reservoirs or rainwater can contain a huge number of parasites, including those that cause stolbur.
• The same goes for the soil. In a regular vegetable garden, there is a chance of encountering parasitic bacteria, unlike soil purchased from specialized stores.
• If possible, plant open field tomatoes in greenhouses. This will help keep them safe from contact with infested insects.

There are some varieties of tomatoes that are resistant to the pest that causes stolbur. Breeders do not give a 100% guarantee that such varieties will not get sick with this ailment. But they have a much higher chance of healthy growth than normal species. These varieties are:

• Volgogradskiy 5/95;
• "East";
• standard Alpatieva;
• "Sovereign F1";
• "Premium F1";
• "Elizabeth F1";
• "Legionnaire F1".

Diseases are always easier to prevent than to cure. This also applies to the post of tomatoes. Prevention measures are quite simple, the main thing is not to neglect them.