Backyard Aquaponics
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Hi guys. Over the course of 3-4 days, one of my tomato plants just wilted and is almost dead. The rest seem ok. I found some possible causes for dirt tomatoes, but was wondering if it would be the same in AP. I think the tomatoes in question are brandywine. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Felix

Got any pictures?

Hi Scotty. Here are some pics. Can't figure out what happened. There's another plant in the same growbed and its doing well.

I'm not sure what happened to it either but if you haven't already I'd get rid of it and don't compost it. Seems pretty obvious that the water transport in this plant is messed up. The black layer in your cross section is probably the xylem.

Probably a bacterial infection. Looks a bit like root rot but I'm not certain if it came first or later. That's a really small amount of roots for a tomato that big and most of them don't look healthy.

The other plant might be in a location with better flow, resistant to the infection or the infection may have started at the site of an injury. Take a look at the solids down in the root zone where you took that plant from. You may need to flush out the bed.

Thanks. I totally agree with you on the flushing the GB. I'm going to get rid of all the gravel and going all raft, as I'm having high PH issues and I think clogged beds are the cause.

MW i had one plant go in a similar fashion and took the same course of action by removing it from the trough and burning it,anyway i did a google on the symptoms and this seems pretty close to what mine had.

Verticillium wilt is a fungal disease that lives in the soil. It invades susceptible plants through their roots and spreads through the plant’s vascular system. The list of plants affected by verticillium wilt is extensive and includes trees, shrubs, and garden annuals and perennials. It can also affect fruit and vegetable crops. Verticillium wilt symptoms mimic those of other plant diseases and environmental problems, and this makes it hard to diagnose. The leaves wilt and curl, and turn yellow or red. They eventually turn brown and drop off. Stems and branches die back. It’s not unusual to see these symptoms on one side of the plant while the other side appears unaffected. As the disease travels up a tree or shrub’s vascular system, it leaves dark discolorations. If you peel back the bark, you’ll see dark streaks on the wood. If you cut through a branch and look at the cross section, you’ll see rings of dark color. These discolorations in the wood can help you tell the difference between verticillium wilt and other plant diseases.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Verticillium Wilt Treatment: What Is Verticillium Wilt And How To Fix It http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-p ... atment.htm