What pests attack tomato?

Cabbage moth, Colorado Potato Beetle, Tomato russet mite, Broad mite, Flea beetles, Leaf Miner, Tomato hornworm, Two-spotted spider mite, Whitefly

What diseases affect tomato?

Bacterial canker of tomato, Bacterial soft rot, Bacterial spot, Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato), Fusarium wilt, Grey mould, Late Blight, Leaf Curl Virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, White mould (Sclerotinia), Anthracnose, Early Blight, Septoria leaf spot, Tomato leaf mould, Verticillium wilt

What else goes wrong with tomato?

Blossom-end rot, Fruit cracking

Tomato pests and diseases: how to recognise them

Q: Which tomato problems need quick action?

Cabbage moth: Young caterpillars feed in groups on the undersides of leaves and skeletonise them; they feed at night. Colorado Potato Beetle: Oval yellowish beetles about 1 cm long with ten black stripes on their wing covers. Tomato russet mite: Leaves curl, turn yellow or bronze, sometimes glossy underneath, then wither and drop. Bacterial canker of tomato: Oldest leaves curl, yellow and wilt, often on one side of a leaf or plant only; leaf edges turn brown as if scorched. Bacterial soft rot: Slimy ooze and a strong, foul smell from the rotting tissue. Bacterial spot: Small water-soaked spots on older leaves that turn dark brown to black and slightly raised, up to about 7 mm across; larger blotches along leaf edges. Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato): The youngest leaves wilt first, then the whole plant wilts quickly in warm weather while the leaves stay green, even though the soil is moist. Fusarium wilt: At first the plant seems to recover overnight, but the wilt soon becomes permanent; growth is stunted and few fruits form. Grey mould: Small, almost translucent spots that turn brown and water-soaked; affected tissue goes soft, dark and dies, and buds and flowers shrivel. Late Blight: Pale green to brown spots with water-soaked edges on the leaves that spread fast; leaves collapse, shrivel and turn brown, and stem lesions are brown to almost black. Leaf Curl Virus: Flowers often drop without setting, so very little fruit forms — losses can be total when plants are infected early. Tomato spotted wilt virus: Dark brown streaks on stems and leaf stalks; tips die back, and plants are stunted or grow lopsided. White mould (Sclerotinia): Masses of fluffy white, cotton-like mould on the affected parts, especially in cool, damp weather.

Solanum lycopersicum

The pests, diseases and disorders recorded for tomato in our library, each with a photo and its first symptom. Every page has the full list of symptoms, organic and chemical treatment and prevention.

At a glance

Problems in total	26
Pests	9
Diseases	15
Growing conditions	2
Need quick action	13

How to grow tomato · All pests and diseases

Pests

Cabbage mothYoung caterpillars feed in groups on the undersides of leaves and skeletonise them; they feed at night.Photo: picture taken by Olaf Leillinger, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Colorado Potato BeetleOval yellowish beetles about 1 cm long with ten black stripes on their wing covers.Also called: Colorado beetle, potato bugPhoto: Adámozphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tomato russet miteLeaves curl, turn yellow or bronze, sometimes glossy underneath, then wither and drop.Photo: Goldlocki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Broad miteLeaf edges pucker and turn downward because the leaves cannot expand normally.Photo: David Riley, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Flea beetlesTiny beetles, 2–3 mm, black or metallic green or blue, some with a yellow stripe, that jump away when the plant is disturbed.Photo: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth!, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leaf MinerHeavily mined leaves dry up or drop early; badly affected tomato plants can lose most of their leaves.Photo: Flowersabc, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tomato hornwormThick green caterpillars up to 10 cm long with a horn at the rear end and eight white V-shaped stripes on each side; the similar tobacco hornworm has seven diagonal stripes.Also called: five-spotted hawkmothPhoto: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 us, Wikimedia Commons
Two-spotted spider miteTiny yellowish-green mites with two dark patches, white cast skins and eggs on the leaf undersides — easiest to see with a 10× hand lens.Also called: red spider mitePhoto: Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
WhiteflyFlat, oval, creamy-white scale-like nymphs on the undersides of leaves; black nymphs have been killed by a parasitic wasp.Photo: gaucho, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diseases

Growing conditions

Which tomato problems need quick action?

These spread or do lasting harm fast; check the plants and start treatment the day you see them.

Cabbage moth: Older caterpillars bore into the hearts of cabbages, so damage shows when the head is cut.
Colorado Potato Beetle: Clusters of yellow-orange eggs on the undersides of leaves.
Tomato russet mite: Fruit skin turns bronze and may crack lengthwise.
Bacterial canker of tomato: Oldest leaves curl, yellow and wilt, often on one side of a leaf or plant only; leaf edges turn brown as if scorched.
Bacterial soft rot: Whole roots, tubers, bulbs, heads or fruit can collapse within a few days, often leaving only the skin — in the garden and in storage.
Bacterial spot: Small water-soaked spots on older leaves that turn dark brown to black and slightly raised, up to about 7 mm across; larger blotches along leaf edges.
Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato): Streaming test — put a freshly cut piece of the lower stem in a glass of clear water; within 3–5 minutes milky threads stream from the cut end. Fusarium and Verticillium wilts do not do this.
Fusarium wilt: A cut stem shows brown or reddish-brown water-conducting tissue — lines lengthways, dots or a ring in cross-section.
Grey mould: On strawberries, grapes and other soft fruit a soft brown rot, often as the fruit ripens; on gooseberries whole branches die.
Late Blight: Pale green to brown spots with water-soaked edges on the leaves that spread fast; leaves collapse, shrivel and turn brown, and stem lesions are brown to almost black.
Leaf Curl Virus: Young leaves are small, curl upward and look crumpled, with yellowing between the veins and along the margins.
Tomato spotted wilt virus: Fruit with pale yellow or light green rings, often raised in the centre; ripe tomatoes blotched red and yellow; peppers with ring spots.
White mould (Sclerotinia): Later, hard black seed-like bodies (sclerotia) 0.5–1 cm across in the mould and inside hollow stems.

Plants with many of the same problems

Which plants each problem affects: sources

The links between these problems and the plant were checked against these pages.