firm. With time, the entirefruit will rot. The fungus lives in the soil and it can also affect pepper. The disease is moretroublesome in heavy, poorly drained soils during prolonged warm wet weather. Nailhead SpotCausal Agent(s): (fungal - Alternaria tomato)Leaf symptoms are the same as those caused by early blight on fruits; however, spots are smaller,with slightly sunken centers and dark margins. As the spots become older, the edges becomeroughened. On ripe fruit, the tissue immediately around the spots often remains green. Control is thesame as for early blight. AnthracnoseCausal Agent(s): (fungal - Colletotrichum sp.)At first, infected fruit show small, slightly sunken, watersoaked spots. These spots enlarge, becomedarker in color, depressed and have concentric rings. Masses of the pink fruiting fungus can be seenon the surface of the lesions in moist weather. Under warm and humid conditions, the funguspenetrates the fruit, completely destroying it. The fungus persists on infected plant refuse in the soil.Fruit may be infected when green and small, but do not show any marked lesions until they begin toripen. Fruit becomes more susceptible as they approach maturity. Control of this disease involves theuse of well-drained soil, crop rotation and a preventative fungicide program as recommended forother diseases. Fusarium WiltCausal Agent(s): (fungal - Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici)The first indication of disease in small plants is a drooping and wilting of lower leaves with a loss ofgreen color followed by wilting and death of the plant. Often leaves on only one side of the stem turnyellow at first; yellowed leaves gradually wilt and die. The stem of wilted plants shows no soft decay,but when cut lengthwise, the woody part next to the green outer cortex shows a dark browndiscoloration of the water conducting vessels. The fungus is soilborne, passes upward into the xylemof the stem. Blocking of the water-conducting vessels is t...
