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Since the past two weeks, I have noticed some brown and white spots on my tomato leaves and some leaves becoming completely dry and wilting.

I don't know what the issue is, the fruit seems fine for now and I initially thought it might be the plant pushing the nutrients to the fruit instead of the rest of the leaves but it seems a bit serious now. It has also been raining quite a lot since last few days but I've been trying to keep them under the sun whenever possible.

Would appreciate any help and suggestions!

Akash Hamirwasia
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    What part of the world are you in, and what size pots are you growing the tomatoes in (height and depth)? Are they growing under glass or out in the open? – Bamboo Sep 01 '22 at 12:04
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    @Bamboo I am in Bangalore, India. They are growing in my balcony, which is mostly open. Pot size: 22cm diameter, 18cm depth. – Akash Hamirwasia Sep 01 '22 at 13:52

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I think this is leaf mold, as described at this link, which it says is commonly confused with powdery mildew: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/tomatoes/diseases-and-disorders/leaf-mold.html

It looks a lot like powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is usually whiter than that, and doesn't usually cause necrosis.

Leaf mold is supposed to be more of a problem when growing under tunnels, and reducing humidity, reducing leaf wetness, and improving air cirulcation are supposed to help.

Gray mold on leaves can also look similar.

Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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    Thanks for the answer. I am growing them in my balcony which is mostly open and also receives good sunlight. Also the leaves don't get wet from rains, balcony is roofed. – Akash Hamirwasia Sep 01 '22 at 13:59
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I am not sure what the problem is - I hope it's not the first signs of tomato blight, see here https://www.finegardening.com/article/how-to-identify-and-combat-tomato-blights. If it is blight, the plants will get worse and collapse, and all will be lost..

The pots you are growing in are not deep enough for tomato plants, so next year, use larger ones - 23cm deep as a minimum. I grew mine in much larger ones this year, 28cm with a diameter of 22cm, on a balcony, and I have had much larger plants with a larger crop. The other thing is to try to space them apart more so they get good airflow, which might mean you choose to grow fewer plants, given you're growing on a balcony. Airflow is as important as sunlight to help keep the plants healthy, particularly when it comes to fungal diseases. I realise your plants are sheltered from rain, but likely the humidity where you are is very high, which makes air flow even more important.

None of that helps you right now though - I wonder what you are using as tomato food. If you are not using any at all, then a specialised tomato feed will help the plants fight off infection, though it may not save them. Seaweed fertilisers can be used if you cannot get proprietary tomato food. You could try spraying with cow's milk mixed with water, 2 parts milk to 10 parts water, just in case the white fungal strands are mildew related, though I'm not convinced they are. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

Bamboo
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  • Thanks for the detailed answer! It's sad to see this happening with the plants, had grown them from seeds. I've removed most of the withered leaves from the plant today. – Akash Hamirwasia Sep 02 '22 at 16:04