Key Points for Identifying and Integrated Managing Major Tomato Pests and Diseases

During their growth, tomatoes are susceptible to infection by a variety of pathogens and pests, and pests and diseases are an important factor affecting tomato yield and quality. Common diseases include late blight, early blight, viral diseases, bacterial wilt, gray mold and leaf mold, while common pests include whiteflies, aphids, cotton bollworms and leafminers.

Late blight is one of the more damaging diseases on tomatoes, spreading quickly under low-temperature, high-humidity conditions. Water-soaked dark lesions appear on leaves and fruit, and if not controlled promptly they can spread rapidly. Viral diseases are mostly transmitted by aphids and whiteflies, with plants showing mosaic, yellowing, leaf curling or stunting; the key to control lies in managing the virus-transmitting insect vectors. Bacterial wilt is a bacterial disease; after infection plants show acute wilting, and it is often aggravated under high-temperature, high-humidity conditions.

As for pests, whiteflies and aphids not only directly suck plant sap but also transmit viruses, so they need special attention. Cotton bollworm larvae bore into and feed on fruit, causing rot and fruit drop; leafminer larvae feed inside leaves, forming winding tunnels that affect leaf photosynthesis.

For control, agricultural measures should be the foundation: choose disease-resistant varieties, practice crop rotation, promptly remove diseased plant debris, and pay attention to ventilation, humidity reduction and reasonable close planting. In protected cultivation, physical and biological methods such as yellow sticky traps, insect-proof netting and release of natural enemies can be used, and when necessary, targeted pesticides may be applied, with attention to rotating chemicals to delay resistance. In addition, blossom-end rot is mostly related to calcium deficiency and uneven water supply; it is a physiological problem that can be effectively alleviated through balanced water and fertilizer management.