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^'SLEEPY DISEASE" OF THE TOMATQi 



By W. F. BEWLEY, D.Sc. 

 {Director of the Experimental and Research Station, Cheshunt, Herts.) 



■ (With Plates IV-VII.) 



CONTENTS. 



I. 

 II. 



III. 



IV. 



Introduction 



Etiology .... 



1. The causal organism . 



2. Inoculation experiments 



3. Pathological physiology 



4. Strains of VertkUlium 



5. Range of hosts . 



6. Ecology 

 Control .... 



1. Cultural methods 



2, Elimination of sources of infection 

 Summary 



PAGE 



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 121 

 125 

 125 

 126 

 129 

 129 

 130 

 131 



I. INTRODUCTION. 



Massee(14, 15) first described "Sleepy Disease" of tomatoes in Britain 

 and attributed it to Fusarium lycopersici (Sacc). In the present in- 

 vestigation it has been found that this nomenclature covers two discrete 

 wilt diseases in this country, Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt. 

 Sleepy Disease is found throughout the British and Channel Islands 

 where tomatoes are grown and is responsible for considerable financial 

 losses. Verticillium wilt occurs more frequently than Fusarium wilt, 

 which is comparatively rare. In normal years the former appears about 

 the middle of April and increases in intensity up to the second and third 

 weeks in May. Usually the attacks die down during the second half of 

 June, July and August and reappear at the end of September, when 

 the plants die prematurely. Fusarium wilt occurs at the hottest part of 

 the season, usually in July and August. 



Plants attacked by Verticillium are usually stunted, while the inter- 

 nodes, especially the younger, are badly developed. When the conditions 



1 A grant in aid of publication has been received for this communication. 



