Plant Problem Diagnosis Key / Diseases
Tomato spotted wilt and impatiens necrotic spot viruses
Orthotospovirus (TSWV, INSV)
Viruses spread by thrips, which pick them up as larvae and spread them as adults. They infect over a thousand species, including tomato, pepper, lettuce and many ornamentals. There is no cure for an infected plant.
Signs
- Bronzed leaves with small brown spots or yellow rings; growing tips may die back.
- Stunted plants; heavily spotted leaves brown, roll and wilt.
- Yellow rings or spots on fruit, often with raised centers, and brown sunken areas.
What favors it
Thrips moving in from weeds and other infected plants. Greenhouse ornamentals often carry it in.
Prevention
- Control thrips from the start (see Thrips).
- Grow TSWV-resistant tomato and pepper varieties where the virus is common.
- Control weeds in and around the crop; many weeds carry the virus.
Often confused with
Sources
- Spotted Wilt Virus in TomatoesUniversity of Maryland Extension
- Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus on Tomato and PepperNC State Extension
Treatment by crop
Cultural, biological and chemical options in the order to use them, and notes written for each crop.
Identification is free. Treatment is on the Home and Pro plans.
Questions in the key that lead here
- Look the plant over, leaf undersides included. Are insects, mites, slugs, eggs, webbing or droppings on it?
No, only damage or discoloration - Where is the problem?
Fruit, flowers or buds - What is wrong with the fruit or flowers?
Spots, patches or scabs on the skin - What do the marks look like?
Yellow rings or spots, often with raised centers
Not a match? Start the key or describe what you see.
More photos
More from university Extension: search Extension pages on tomato spotted wilt and impatiens necrotic spot viruses, or find a plant diagnostic lab through your state's Extension.
Other diseases
- Anthracnose
- Apple scab
- Bacterial leaf scorch
- Bacterial leaf spot
- Bacterial wetwood (slime flux)
- Bacterial wilt of cucurbits
- Black knot
- Black spot of rose
- Bleeding canker
- Boxwood blight
- Canker diseases
- Cedar-apple and related rusts
- Crown gall
- Damping-off
- Downy mildew
- Dutch elm disease
- Early blight and Alternaria leaf spot
- Elm yellows (phloem necrosis)
- Fire blight
- Fusarium wilt
- Gray mold (Botrytis)
- Late blight
- Mosaic viruses
- Needle cast and tip blight
- Oak wilt
- Powdery mildew
- Root and butt rot
- Root rot (Pythium and Phytophthora)
- Rust
- Septoria leaf spot
- Shade tree anthracnose
- Sooty mold
- Tar spot of maple
- Verticillium wilt
- White mold (Sclerotinia)
- White pine blister rust