•  Remove and destroy all infected plant material.

• ·Plant only certified disease-free plants

• Use resistant or tolerant tomato cultivars.

• Use pathogen-free seed and do not allow diseased plants to set seed in the field.

• Use crop rotation.

• ·Eradicate weeds and volunteer tomato plants,

• · Use recommended spacing so that the plants do not touch one another.

• Mulch plants and fertilize properly to keep the plants growing vigorously.

• Don’t wet tomato foliage with irrigation water.

•  Trim off and dispose of infected lower branches and leaves.

•  Before disease occurs, apply fungicides at 7-10 days intervals.

•  After disease is detected in your area, apply fungicides at 5-7 days intervals.

• Crop rotation of 3 years and sanitation (removal of crop debris) will reduce the amount of inoculum.

• Do not use overhead irrigation.

• Repeated fungicide applications with chlorothalonil (very good) or copper fungicide, or mancozeb (good) will keep the disease in check.

• Crop residue should be removed from the field.

• Staking and pruning to increase air circulation helps to control the disease.

• Space tomato plants further apart for better air circulation between plants.

•  Avoid wetting leaves when watering.

•  Use certified seeds.

• · Avoid areas that had been planted with peppers or tomatoes during the previous year.

• Avoid overhead watering by using drip or furrow irrigation.

• Remove and dispose of all diseased plant material.

• ·Prune plants to promote air circulation.

• Spraying with a copper fungicide will give fairly good control of the bacterial disease.

• Use a balanced fertility program based on a soil test. 

• Avoid use of excessive nitrogen. 

• Reduce humidity through the use of vents, proper plant spacing, staking and pruning of plants.

b. Tomato pith necrosis

• Avoid compacted, poorly drained soils (grow plants in raised beds).

• Rotation, sanitation, staking, and mulching will help reduce the disease.

• Fungicide sprays with chlorothalonil, mancozeb, or copper fungicides will give fairly good control of buckeye rot.

• Purchase disease-free seed, as the fungus that causes anthracnose of tomato may be within the seed.

• Tomato seed may be treated by soaking them in hot water (122 ºF) for 25 minutes to destroy the fungus.

• Do not use overhead irrigation as splashing water aids in the spread of fungal spores.

•  Use disease-free transplants,

• Grow only cultivars with at least resistance to races 1 and 2 of Fusarium wilt.

• Start seeds indoors in sterilized potting mix and use new or clean containers.

• Do not start seeds in soil that has a high nitrogen level. 

• Add nitrogen fertilizer after the seedlings have produced their first true leaves.

• Allow the surface of the soil to dry between watering.

• Crop rotation with non-susceptible grass crops.

• Removal of plant debris immediately after harvest will help to control the disease.

• Do not plant tomatoes after beans, pepper, or eggplant.

• Calcium nitrate may be applied at transplanting.

b. Southern blight

c. Southern blight

• Eliminating weeds in the garden is the first step in reducing the chance of acquiring tomato spotted wilt virus.

• Keeping the grass and weeds mowed in areas surrounding the garden may reduce the spread of thrips onto susceptible garden plants.

• Removal of plants with initial symptoms may slow the spread of the disease.

• Rogue (pull out) infected plants and immediately bag to prevent the spread of the whiteflies feeding on those plants.

• Keep weeds controlled within and around the garden site, as these may be alternate hosts for white flies. 

• When nematodes are not yet present, move the tomato crop to a different area within the garden every year.

• Use resistant cultivars.

• Pull up and dispose of roots immediately after harvest.

•  Limestone is best applied 3 to 6 months in advance and tilled into the soil.

•  If calcium levels are not sufficient, but the soil pH is correct, then gypsum (calcium sulphate) is best tilled into the soil before planting.

•  Avoid excessive potassium or magnesium fertilization as these nutrients will compete with calcium for uptake by the plants. 

• Maintain a uniform supply of moisture through irrigation.

• Cover exposed fruits.

• Control leaf diseases, as foliage shades the fruit.

• Maintain even soil moisture with regular watering and adequate mulch.

• Plant varieties that are resistant to the virus.

• Heat-treat seeds at 70°C for 4 days or at 82–85°C for 24 hours to help eliminate any virus particles on the surface of the seeds.

• Soaking seed for 15 min in 100 g/l of tri-sodium phosphate solution (TSP) can also eliminate virus particles - seeds should be rinsed thoroughly and laid out to dry after this treatment.

• If the virus is confirmed in the field, infected plants should be removed and destroyed to limit further spread.

• Plant tomato on a 2-year rotation, avoiding susceptible crops such as peppers, eggplant, cucurbits and tobacco.

• Disinfect all equipment when moving from infected areas of the field.

• If aphid population is limited to just a few leaves or shoots then the infestation can be pruned out to provide control;

• Check transplants for aphids before planting.

• Use tolerant varieties if available.

• Reflective mulches such as silver coloured plastic can deter aphids from feeding on plants.

• Sturdy plants can be sprayed with a strong jet of water to knock aphids from leaves.

• Insecticidal soaps or oils such as neem or canola oil are the best method of control.

• Remove all plant residue from soil after harvest or at least two weeks before planting, this is especially important if the previous crop was another host such as beans or a leguminous cover crop.

• Hand-pick larvae after dark; spread diatomaceous earth around the base of the plants (this creates a sharp barrier that will cut the insects if they try and crawl over it).

• Apply appropriate insecticides to infested areas of field if not growing organically.

Organic methods of controlling the beet armyworm include biological control by natural enemies which parasitize the larvae and the application of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Beet army worm (larvae)

• Adults and larvae should be handpicked from plants and destroyed in soapy water.

• Applications of Bacillus thuringiensis can be effective at controlling larvae but should be applied frequently.

• Insecticides, including spinosad, are still effective against adult beetles.

• Plant seeds early to allow establishment before the beetles become a problem - mature plants are less susceptible to damage.

• Trap crops may provide a measure of control - cruciferous plants are best.

• Application of a thick layer of mulch may help prevent beetles reaching surface; application on diamotecoeus earth or oils such as neem oil are effective control methods for organic growers.

• Application of insecticides containing carbaryl, spinosad, bifenthrin and permethrin can provide adequate control of beetles for up to a week but will need re-application.

• Hand pick larvae from plants leaving any parasitized larvae behind to promote populations of natural enemies (these larvae can be distinguished by the presence of white, oblong-shaped cocoons on their backs).

• Sprays of Bacillus thuringiensis is organically acceptable and highly effective.

• Leaf miner natural enemies normally keep populations under control.

• Remove plants from soil immediately after harvest if making new plantings in same place or close by

• Keep the field free from weeds especially Solanum spp., Datura spp., Nicotiana spp.

• Only use insecticides when leaf miner damage has been identified since unnecessary spraying will also reduce populations of their natural enemies.

• Remove weeds around crop which may act as sites for stink bugs and practice good weed management throughout the year.

• Organically accepted control methods include the use of insecticidal soaps, kaolin clay and preservation of natural enemies.

• Avoid planting next to onions, garlic or cereals where very large numbers of thrips can build up.

• Use reflective mulches early in growing season to deter thrips.

• Apply appropriate insecticide if thrips become problematic.

• Early treatment of tomato fruit worms is necessary as once they enter the fruit they are protected from sprays;

• Monitor plants for eggs and young larvae and also natural enemies that could be damaged by chemicals. 

• Bacillus thuringiensis spray may be applied to control insects on organically grown plants.

• Appropriate chemical treatment may be required for control in commercial plantations.