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Tomato yellow leaf curl virus
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus · Viral
Photo: Kembangraps · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus is a whitefly-carried virus and one of the worst diseases of tomato. It is spread by the tiny white whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) — the insect that carries it is called the vector. Once a whitefly picks up the virus from a sick plant it can pass it on for the rest of its life. It does NOT spread by seed or by your hands, so the whole fight is against the whitefly and the sick plants it feeds on.
Philarium · CC BY-SA 3.0
Why it matters
This disease can take your whole crop — up to 100% — if it strikes while the plants are still young. There is no cure: once a plant is infected it stays infected, so a sprayer cannot save it. The virus is carried plant-to-plant by whiteflies faster than you can see, and a plant that catches it before it flowers will often set little or no fruit at all. That is why everything depends on keeping the whiteflies off your young plants and pulling out the sick ones before they infect the rest.
When to act
Control whiteflies and rogue symptomatic plants from the seedling stage; early infection before flowering can cause total loss, so protecting young plants is the priority.
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
In much of the region a spray is simply called mushonga — medicine. But a chemical group you cannot name is one you cannot rotate, and a product you did not write down has no pre-harvest interval you can observe. Mushonga, and other farming words →
The full tomato yellow leaf curl virus field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
16 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to tomato yellow leaf curl virus — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify tomato yellow leaf curl virus?
The first sign: the young top leaves curl and cup upward like a little spoon or bowl, and turn yellow along the edges and between the veins while the veins stay green. The new leaves come out small, crumpled and brittle.
When should I take action against tomato yellow leaf curl virus?
Control whiteflies and rogue symptomatic plants from the seedling stage; early infection before flowering can cause total loss, so protecting young plants is the priority.
How do I control tomato yellow leaf curl virus?
Prevent first — plant a resistant variety (your strongest tool): choose a tomato variety bred to resist this virus (sold as TYLCV-resistant or carrying "Ty" resistance). A resistant plant can still catch the virus but shrugs off most of the damage — this is the single most effective thing you can do.
Which crops does tomato yellow leaf curl virus affect?
Among the crops covered here: Common bean, Tomato.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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