It has been used to include those diseases which show up as wilting of the plant, spotting or death or distortion of the leaves, spotting or rotting of fruit, injury to the roots, or all of these. There are several blights that affect tomatoes in home gardens in West Virginia. While some are of minor concern, others are very important and may result in complete destruction of the crop, if not controlled. The wilt diseases are caused primarily by the soil-borne fungi, Fusarium and Verticillium , which invade the plant through the root system.
First symptoms appear on leaves at the bottom of the plant.
These leaves turn yellow or brown and then die. Leaves higher on the stem become dull in color and may appear droopy or wilted. With Fusarium , this is most likely to appear during hot weather, usually shortly before the first fruits ripen. The entire plant gradually turns yellow or brown, wilts and dies. It will have a complete collapsed appearance.