The disease is associated with the presence of whiteflies. The nature of the geminivirus has not been determined, nor has the presence of other viruses been ruled out. Preliminary experiments by Dr. Brown suggest the virus is not seedborne. There are no control measures. Infected plants die suddenly from mid-summer to fall.
Leaves usually remain attached to the plant.
For more information see the Cotton Root Rot Section. See the section on Charcoal Rot. See the Southern Blight Section. Some of these causes can be classified as physiological, while others could be the result of infection by soilborne diseases. Other causes of tip blight are damage of the root system by the disease known as pink root, damage by certain insects, particularly thrips and leaf miners, soil-related problems that place the plants under undue stress, and occasionally damage by ozone gas released into the atmosphere during severe thunderstorms accompanied by frequent lightning.