Tomatoes are a common nightshade vegetable that can be used as either a vegetable or a fruit. As a common vegetable, many people grow tomatoes, but if you want to grow tomatoes well, you still need to prevent some common diseases in advance. Let’s learn about the specific prevention and control methods of various diseases.
1. Tomato navel rot
Umbilical rot is relatively common during tomato planting. It is generally considered to be the rot around the navel caused by abnormal water supply and lack of calcium and boron. To prevent tomato navel rot, spray foliar fertilizers mainly during the young fruit stage. You can use 1% superphosphate and boron element fertilizer, spraying once every two weeks or so 2-3 times, which can have a good preventive effect. Calcium supplementation on tomato leaves can be used from the seedling stage to before harvest. It is generally sprayed every 10-15 days, and the effect is good.
2. Deformed tomatoes
When tomatoes become deformed, the fruit quality will be reduced or the commercial value will be completely lost, causing serious harm. Improper temperature management or improper use of hormones during the seedling stage of tomatoes can easily lead to fruit deformation or cracking.
In order to promote fruit expansion, some growers use expanding agents, causing hollow fruits in tomatoes. In order to prevent tomatoes from deformed fruits, we need to use enlarging agents correctly and at the right time. We should use them in the field when the plants are growing well, with sufficient light, suitable temperature, and sufficient water and fertilizer. This will greatly reduce the chance of hollow fruits.
3. Tomato green peel fruit
Tomato green-skin fruit means that the surface of the fruit is partially browned or green-skinned. Some fruits are dark brown, hard, necrotic, and have hardened pulp. They are of poor quality and tasteless. The causes of green peel fruit include insufficient light, low temperature and high humidity, partial application of nitrogen fertilizer in the field, excessive water accumulation, etc., which can all lead to the occurrence of green peel fruit. In order to prevent green peel fruit, we can choose to plant medium-shaped fruit varieties with thin skin, small plant leaves and resistance to green peel fruit. Re-apply organic fertilizer to the field, add lighting equipment on cloudy and rainy days, regularly spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate or special foliar fertilizer on the plants, and strengthen water and fertilizer management.
4. Tomatoes are deficient in nutrients
Potassium deficiency in tomatoes causes the leaf edges of the lower leaves of the plant to become chlorotic and yellow, reducing fruit quality and causing tomato green skin. Tomatoes are deficient in magnesium. The lower leaves of the plant generally turn yellow, and photosynthesis is weakened, which seriously affects the accumulation of nutrients. We need to carry out top dressing in the later stage, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and supplement magnesium on the leaves. Other trace elements, such as boron, calcium, zinc, etc., should also be supplemented regularly. Pay attention to the dosage and concentration when spraying to avoid fertilizer damage.
