Crop husbandry to combat tomato leaf mould

Find out how you can dramatically decrease the incidence and progression of tomato leaf mould (Passalora fulva) through effective crop husbandry.

The lower leaves, where the disease thrives and where it is most commonly found, can be removed.

Some growers also removed higher leaves and reported very good disease control as a result. This could be from a combination of reduced inoculum and decreased humidity through improved airflow.

Whatever leaves you decide to remove, it is critical that infected material is taken out of glasshouses to prevent it acting as a source of inoculum to restart the infection cycle.

Removed material should be placed in a covered skip to avoid spores spreading and aerial infection occurring between glasshouses.

Location should be carefully considered at sites with a history of tomato leaf mould. Growers should avoid placing susceptible varieties in areas that have had infections in previous years and where spores may have persisted.

Place resistant varieties in these locations instead. A grower reported that such rotation made the greatest difference, year-on-year, to tomato leaf mould occurrence at their site.

If you would like to order a hard copy of the Tomato leaf mould best practice guide, please contact:

Email: publications@ahdb.org.uk

Telephone: 0247 799 0069

Tomato leaf mould web pages originally authored by Sarah Maybe and Dave Kaye (RSK ADAS).