page_title: Tomato leaf mold
section_title: Hosts and Symptoms
hierarchical_section_title: Tomato leaf mold / Hosts and Symptoms
caption_attribution_description: English: Symptoms on Tomato Leaf Mold
context_page_description: Cladosporium fulvum is an Ascomycete called Passalora fulva, a non-obligate pathogen that causes the disease on tomato known as the Tomato leaf mold. P. fulva only attacks tomato plants, especially the foliage, and it is a common disease in greenhouses, but can also occur in the field. The pathogen is likely to grow in humid and cool conditions. In greenhouses, this disease causes big problems during the fall, in the early winter and spring, due to the high relative humidity of air and the temperature, that are propitious for the leaf mold development. This disease was first described in the North Carolina, by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke, on cultivated tomato, although it is originally from South and Central America. The causal fungus of tomato leaf mold may also be referred to as Cladosporium fulvum, a former name.
context_section_description: The tomato leaf mold fungus is a specific pathogen of tomato plant Lycopersicon, this pathogen has restricted host range (host specific pathogen) that only infects tomatoes, mainly in greenhouses.
  The symptoms of this disease commonly occurs on foliage, and it develops on both sides of the leaf on the adaxial and abaxial surface. The older leaves are infected first and then the disease moves up towards young leaves.
  Symptoms of tomato leaf mold appear usually with foliage, but fruit infection is rare. The primary symptom appear on the upper surface of infected leaves as a small spot pale green or yellowish with indefinite margins, and on corresponding area of the lower surface, the fungus begins to sporulate. The diagnostic symptom develops on lower surface as an olive green to grayish purple and velvety appearance, which are composed of spores (conidia). Continuously, the color of the infected leaf changes to yellowish brown and the leaf begins to curl and dry. The leaves will drop upon reaching a premature stage, and the defoliation of the infected host will cause further infection. This disease develops well in relative humidity levels above 85%. When the temperature reaches optimum level for germinating, the host will be infected by the pathogen. Occasionally, this pathogen causes disease on the fruit or blossoms with various symptoms. Fruits such as green and ripe one will develop dark rot on the stem. The blossoms will be killed before fruits grow.
caption: Symptoms on Tomato Leaf. Photograph provided by Elizabeth Bush, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
exif: {}