Compendium of Tomato Diseases and Pests, Second Edition

Botanically speaking, tomato is a fruit, but by common understanding, it is often considered a vegetable. Regardless of which designation you use, tomato is the most “Googled” fruit and one of the most commonly grown. Tomato is also a common target for many diseases and pests, affecting production for all kinds of growers—from commercial producers trying to maximize yields to home gardeners who want fresh, flawless, and flavorful tomatoes for salads, cooking, and canning.


Compendium of Tomato Diseases and Pests, Second Edition, with nearly 250 images and significantly updated content, provides the information needed for anyone to identify, understand, diagnose, and treat more than 60 diseases of tomato that occur worldwide. This impressive new edition was written by expert plant pathologists working with tomato and is organized into these main sections:

•  The Introduction provides background information about tomato botany and culture, seed production and quality assurance, and container production of transplants. Among the new topics addressed are the change in nomenclature, in which the genus Lycopersicon was classified as Solanum section Lycopersicon, and the sequencing of the tomato genome.

•  Part I outlines the infectious diseases that affect tomato—including those caused by fungi and oomycetes, bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses, and viroids—along with postharvest diseases and disorders and diseases caused by nematodes. Each disease section has been updated from the first edition, and sections have been added to address approximately 20 new diseases and disorders.

•  Part II covers arthropod pests: namely, mites, insects, and “worm” pests. The coverage of pests has been expanded significantly in this edition and includes the addition of 23 color photos that illustrate pests and the damage they cause.

•  Part III examines noninfectious diseases, disorders, and damage: namely, physiological diseases, nutritional disorders, herbicide damage, and genetic diseases. This part now includes 40 color photos to assist readers in recognizing the damage caused by these various diseases and disorders, for which the signs and symptoms are often similar. The discussion of herbicides, in particular, has been updated to reflect the full range of available products.

•  Part IV, which discusses diseases of undetermined etiology, has been reorganized to adopt the format used elsewhere in the book.


Compendium of Tomato Diseases and Pests, Second Edition, provides scientifically peer-reviewed information on numerous diseases, disorders, and pests to support users in making accurate decisions for management. Throughout the book, diseases, disorders, and pests are both illustrated and discussed in sections that follow an easy-to-use structure: a statement of the disease, disorder, or pest’s importance and distribution, an identification of its common signs and symptoms, a description of its causal organism or agent, an explanation of its cycle and epidemiology, and recommendations for management. This logical, consistent format allows users to quickly identify signs and symptoms of important tomato diseases, disorders, and pests occurring throughout the world—in the greenhouse, in the field or garden, and in transit to the market. 


The first edition of this book was a top-10 best-seller in the APS Disease Compendium Series, and this new edition will be even more useful with expanded and updated coverage. Individuals with a range of skill and expertise will be able to use this book effectively, including field and greenhouse growers, home and master gardeners, consultants, horticulturalists, Extension agents, entomologists, diagnosticians, plant pathologists, educators, and students. Those who work in postharvest channels, including tomato and canning storage facilities, will also benefit from the content of this book.