Is a virus, or something else, causing my tomato leaves to become shriveled, yellow and wrinkled?

Question

Information:

• two tomato plants - one is some kind of a plum tomato, and the other is a black tomato.
• the plum tomato's seed was taken from a freshly cut plum tomato (which was bought at the supermarket).
• the plum tomato was planted and grown indoors until it was about a month old, at which time it was taken outside.
• the plum tomato seemed to be doing great, until it was moved outside.
• the black tomato's seed was taken from a bag of seeds imported from eastern Europe.
• the black tomato was planted and grown outdoors.
• both tomato plants grow in a ready-made soil bought from a nursery, in a spacious plastic container. They're both located at a sunny spot, though near buildings blocks some of the sun, so they get about 4-6 hours of direct daily sunlight.

The issue:

1. since being taken outside, the plum tomato exhibits yellowing of leaves, drying and falling off of leaves (especially leaves which were in direct sunlight) and is overall sick-looking.
2. the black tomato seemed to be OK up until now, when it has started to show similar symptoms.

The plum tomato:

The black tomato:

I'm suspecting this might be a virus, or a fungal infection of some sort, like the Fusarium wilt or Verticillium wilt, but I'm not sure.

How should I treat them?

Also, is it possible that the infection got into the soil and will affect plants that will be planted instead?

Answer 1

I am hearing a few problems you might be experiencing.

The first is moving a plant from out of doors in full sunlight to the indoors with out acclimation and the same is true moving a plant from indoors (even in direct sunlight through a window) to the out of doors in the direct sunlight without acclimation (short periods of time lengthened slowly over weeks). That might explain the sunburned leaves. You took your tomato from indoors to out of doors in direct sun? The plum tomato you started from a grocery store plum tomato?

Is this a covered patio? As long as an indoor plant never gets put in direct sun without acclimatization, such as a covered porch or patio, it won't be harmed. As long as there is no chance for temperatures getting lower than 50 at night.

Plants grown indoors have thin 'skins'. Plants used to the direct sun out of doors develop a thicker epidermis to protect the photosynthetic factories from radiation.

Your examples are perfect to support this information; Your plum tomato got a major shock by being put out of doors. The black tomato grown out of doors is not sun burned but from your picture is still struggling.

Are you or any of your friends smokers of tobacco? Tobacco Mosaic Virus could be a problem. I think I can see a yellow mosaic on those leaves. The excessive curling might be a part of this virus.

This virus is from a virus that infects tobacco, Nicotiana tobaccum. Tobacco grown for cigarettes and cigars. This tobacco plant is in the solanaceae family. The virus doesn't kill tobacco crops and it won't kill you either. Nicotine might. Tobacco crops are seasonal, harvested before the virus can cause reduction of the tobacco crop. One can pretty much assume this virus is in all tobacco products.

If a smoker TOUCHES the leaves with their hands, that virus, most likely on their hands, easily infects our solanaceae plants; tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, egg plants.

Never allow smokers near your plants if you have any of the Solanaceae family (tomato family) growing in your greenhouse, in the kitchen or even out of doors. Just the smoke from cigarettes drifting from your neighbors can infect this group of plants with Tobacco Mosaic Virus. If you smoke you need to always wash up like a surgeon, clean all tools you've touched, no breathing on your tomato plants before you get near these plants..

And finally, what have you used for fertilizer? Fertilizer is just basic chemicals plants have to have to make the REAL plant's food via photosynthesis.

Never reuse old potting soil. No worth the risks. Dump in your garden.

Answer 2

This could be TMV, as previous poster suggested. Very hard to know without a tissue sample because symptoms vary by plant type.

However, I think I agree with you in that this is most likely Verticullum Wilt (VW). One of most common indicators for VM are V shaped lesions.

See Here:

In either case, TMV or VM...the management is the same. If you have now planted them in the ground, pull the affected plants and dispose of them. Do not put them in the compost pile. Burning them is best. Both affect many type plants so I'm hoping you haven't planted them in ground. But if so, you'll want to Solarize the soil for 5-6 weeks, and keep an eye on surrounding plants. For more info on TMV, read this.