Just noticed this on my store bought plant (not grown from seed). It's now fruiting, and I don't see any white spots on the leaves.
Update: 25 Feb 2016 with close up of the stems and an more distant view of the plant health
asked Jan 17, 2016 at 6:53
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Installed imgur app so I can upload an image, but doesn't seem to be working– Graham ChiuJan 17, 2016 at 9:48
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No need to install an app to upload the image, but I see it fine.– jeremyJan 18, 2016 at 0:43
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I can't see a way to upload an image from an android device. So had to find a free web service, which meant installing another app.– Graham ChiuJan 18, 2016 at 1:22
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Ah, okay. I understand– jeremyJan 18, 2016 at 4:13
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Are you referring to the patchy ghosting on the lower stem?– J. MusserFeb 10, 2016 at 2:37
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1 Answer
That appears to be Southern Blight, Sclerotium rolfsii
It's a fungal disease from the soil, and affects many species of plants. You cannot cure plants infected with it. From the University of California:
- Rotate to nonhost crops, such as corn, sorghum, rice, or small grains, for at least 2 years to reduce inoculum.
- Deep plowing to bury plant refuse may help to destroy sclerotia.
- Keeping the tops of beds dry in tomato fields helps reduce the disease in furrow- and buried-drip-irrigated fields.
For potted plants, I'd recommend disposing of the potting medium, and sterilizing or disposing of the container.
answered Feb 10, 2016 at 22:29
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"tomato plants with southern blight have lesions on the stem at or near the soil line. These lesions develop rapidly, girdling the stem and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilting of the plant. White mats of mycelia are produced on the stem and in the adjacent soil. In a few days, tan to brown spherical sclerotia about 0.06 inch (0.5 mm) in diameter appear on the mycelial mat. The abundant sclerotia are a good diagnostic feature." I'm not seeing a white mycelium mat on the soil, no sclerotia, and no wilting though the leaves are slightly curled. Feb 11, 2016 at 4:47
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@GrahamChiu you're right.. I didn't see your picture well from my phone. Do you mind getting a closeup of the affected area? Feb 13, 2016 at 23:47
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The plant survived to the end of summer/early autumn and I got a few tomatoes off it. But it succumbed to scale attack. Jan 15, 2017 at 22:21