Buckeye Rot is a Fungal Disease Found in Tomatoes

A tomato is very susceptible when it comes to disease and this can ruin a tomato plant or whole crop. The tomato is often associated with various bacterial and fungal infections that can destroy the individual tomato itself or it can destroy a whole crop depending on the rate of transmission. One very invasive fungal disease that a tomato can get is the buckeye rot and this disease can destroy a tomato and the plant as a whole. In order to keep your tomato plant healthy you need to know about buckeye rot and the symptoms that an infected tomato would show.

Buckeye rot is a very invasive fungal infection that will destroy your tomato and can result in a loss of a whole crop of tomatoes. The buckeye rot infection is caused by a fungus known as Phytophthora parasitica. This fungal infection causes the rot of a tomato as well as other crops such as eggplant and pepper. It is fairly easy to tell if your tomato has buckeye rot because it will show certain signs and symptoms of the disease which are often in physical changes.

A tomato infected with buckeye rot will exhibit a gray, green or brown spot that appears to have been soaked in water. The spots will occur in the locations of the tomato where it has touched the soil so mostly on the bottom of the tomato. Lesions will occur on a tomato that is infected and they will be quite large and have a pattern of light and dark brown rings. The light and dark brown rings on an infected tomato will often appear like the markings seen on a buckeye which is why it is called buckeye rot. The lesions found in buckeye rot disease will appear smooth on the surface with no defining end point. The smooth surface on the tomato when it is infected with buckeye rot is the characteristic used to diagnose the disease. A tomato that is infected with buckeye rot will still be firm to the touch unless it is invaded by other bacteria later in the disease progression. The buckeye rot found in a tomato might also cause stem cankers near the soil and the damping-off of the seeds. The most common symptom however in buckeye rot is the rotting of the tomato so that is what you need to be looking for.

Buckeye rot is a disease that is carried in the soil so it will infect any tomato that is lying on or near the soil line. Usually the soil that carries buckeye rot will be moist so frequent rain or irrigation could be a cause of the buckeye rot. If you have an irrigation system in place that provides large amounts of water frequently, then your tomato is more at risk for developing this fungal disease. Buckeye rot is not something you have to live with and you can help treat and prevent it by following some simple rules.

For an environmental control of buckeye rot you want to make sure that you are growing your tomatoes in a well-drained soil or raised bed. You should also stake or mulch the tomato plant to help prevent the tomato from coming in contact with the soil line. Irrigation systems should not be used if it will keep the ground wet near the tomato all of the times since the frequent watering makes the buckeye rot develop. For a chemical control of the buckeye rot you can use products that prevent various types of rot. Products that prevent various rot diseases will help control the buckeye rot and decrease the risk of your tomato plant getting the disease. You should always make sure to read the instructions and precautions on all chemical products for your safety and the safety of your tomato plant. There might also be restrictions on when you can use the rot prevention chemicals such as before or after a certain time of the year. You should always follow the directions on the chemical and also follow the dosing instructions properly. There is currently no type of tomato plant that has a resistance to the buckeye rot so the only thing you can do is use chemical control or use environmental prevention to lessen the odds of your tomato getting the disease.

Mary Ann Hansen, "Buckeye Rot of Tomato", Virginia Tech and Virginia State University