Photo

Here is a link that might be useful: Photo

Pictures will be a big help. Rust is really a bean disease, not tomatoes. Check out the link below for pics of tomato diseases.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU Tomato Problem Solver

Well, besides beans, rust is found on many garden plants, certainly daylilies, iris, and roses, besides other things I don't have to worry about.

I found some info online on rust on tomatoes (it's a potato fungus and only affects potato and tomato kin).

This from APSnet shows a photo of Potato Rust spots on the bottom of a tomato leaf. Not the same as the spots on mustgarden's leaf.

"Symptoms were produced in a greenhouse when the tomato plant was inoculated with a rust (Puccinia pitteriana) from potatoes.

Puccinia pitteriana is common in high altitudes on potatoes in the Colombian Andes. The rust has never been seen on tomatoes in nature."
http://www.apsnet.org/publications/imageresources/Pages/IW000074.aspx

However, the statement about Potato Rust not appearing in tomatoes in nature seems contradicted by these pages:
http://www.gardenguides.com/125098-rust-disease-tomato-plants.html
http://www.eppo.int/QUARANTINE/fungi/Puccinia_pittieriana/PUCCPT_ds.pdf
but I'm assuming it's not currently found in the wild in the US. Then again, with the current fad for unusual South American potatoes, perhaps the rust has spread here.

But in any case, I don't think mustgarden needs to worry about Potato Rust. I'm not sure what mustgarden's photo shows. Perhaps sunburn? Or a mineral deficiency?

Ok--think we finally figured this out...

[IMG]http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/8087/p1070107j.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1112/p1070110p.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4999/p1070109y.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/7874/p1070106d.jpg[/IMG]

Ok, didn't figure it out yet! Missing, do you think it could be a magnesium deficiency?

I don't know enough to be sure what it is, mustgarden.

If you planted out within the last week or so and the plants weren't gradually exposed to full sunlight ("hardening out"), they can get light patches. But in my experience those patches are usually light tan or white, not yellow. You can see similar damage when water droplets on the leaves magnify the sun's rays.

And it does resemble the photos of magnesium deficiency, but I don't know if it's that or something else.

Meanwhile, here's how to post photos from Photobucket; presumably it's fairly similar in imageshack:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg0513322013993.html?14

The important thing is that whatever you copy from imageshack should provide the kind of html that begins
with the is-less-than sign (above the comma on your keyboard) and ends with the is-greater-than sign (above the period).

When you go to Preview Message, you should see the photos, or if you're posting a link, the link should work. What you see in Preview is what you'll get in the actual post. [And yes, for some reason it took me four tries to get them all to show up.]

Just to save time, here are your photos:

I use a free Firefox add-on, BBCodeXtra, which provides the right code. [Still sincerely thanking GW member justaguy2 for recommending this add-on which lets me do fun format stuff!]

Water stress. They ran short of water. The reason: the area between the veins is farthest from the supply line.

Thanks for posting my pictures!! I'll try again, with one taken of the actual plants. The discoloration is a lot lighter and not so dramatic as in the photos I took inside. In fact, it looks more light white turning to light yellow.

I put in the tomatoes about a month ago (hardened off) in my neighbor's garden, and they've been doing fine. Interestingly, this garden doesn't get light until about 11 am, then has it for the rest of the day.

We had pretty erratic weather with temps in the 80s and 90s, then down to the 40s a day or 2, then mostly in the 60-80s. I only finished the drip system a couple weeks ago, and put compost on a few days after that. From afar, the plants still look very healthy and strong.

Water stress does seem likely too. The plants further away from the sprinklers do have more of the light patches. (for the record, we've now changed those heads and it's total drip).

If it is magnesium, or if it could be, what do you think about treating witha foliar spray of 1 t Epsom Salt in one gallon water? (I'm organic)

Yeah!!! I figured it out. Now if we can just figure out how to save my tomatoes!

The nursery man said fungus, the extension agent said not but didn't know, it turns out that several neighbors also have it, and one friend suggested temperature stress--we went from 80s to 40s just before I noticed it. I'm going to wait it out and hope the gods are favorable....

Not magnesium deficiency.

Not fungus.

It's heat & water stress. Next the heat hits, rig temporary shade.

thanks Jean--will do!

I have some old nylon netting we bought at a fabric store over 20 years ago. It's off white, and the type you would have used to fluff up a skirt. Can I use that?

The netting or tulle is good for row cover to keep out insects, but not sure how much shade it provides. Be sure if you use plastic to keep it off the plant. Reflected light is even stronger!