A question that farmers often ask themselves, observing their plants, is: why i tomatoes do the curled leaves and become crumpled and dry? Cultivating a vegetable garden is a passion that has always involved millions of Italians. Those who cultivate, however, must learn to recognize all the problems that arise on plants. One of these is represented by curled leaves and it concerns the tomato plant. In agronomic terms, it is called: foliar rolling of tomato and it is a problem that should not cause too much alarm. At the same time, however, he must be studied, to understand what causes him. So let’s see why these leaves are deformed and how to behave in these cases.
The foliar rolling of the tomato
The foliar rolling of the tomato is one physiopathies, that is an alteration of the plant not due to parasites or diseases. Plants are living beings, which adapt to the environment in which they are grown.
Physiopathies are attributable to both climatic and environmental factors, but also to wrong cultivation techniques or genetic predispositions of the variety. This foliar curling is a physiopathy called, without much imagination: curled tomato leaves. It manifests itself with an initial curling of the leaves, especially those at the base of the plants. These have margins facing up. Subsequently, there is a real rolling up, parallel to the central rib of the same tomato leaf.
Characteristics of the curled leaves of tomatoes
On the outside, the crumpled leaves are lighter than the typical dark green of tomato leaves. To the touch they are almost crunchy, they look like dry leaves. It is a bit like the leaf structure is stiff.
What causes the foliar curl of tomatoes
There are tomato varieties more sensitive to the pathophysiology of curly leaves, such as the cherry. In general, however, the leaves curl for two reasons: high temperatures with high humidity; excessive salinity of the soil.
Solutions for excessive heat
The first cause is very common in spring and summer, which is the seasons in which it occurs they plant tomatoes in the garden. If we live in areas that are too hot and exposed to the sun for many hours, we could intervene with the shading nets. A more lasting solution is instead that of plant trees around the garden, so as to have windbreaks and natural shading. However, there are also cases in which there is a sudden and anomalous rise in temperatures, which causes the tomato leaves to curl. If that’s the case, don’t worry too much.
Solutions to correct soil salinity
A too saline soil can cause problems for crops, such as curling. The salinity is mainly due to the continuous use of water unsuitable for irrigation, as are often those of the tap. Another reason is the environmental conditions. In fact, excessive salinity often occurs in coastal coasts. This problem is accompanied by a poor one soil structure, with a low capacity to retain water and an excessive accumulation of sodium, chlorine and carbonates. These conditions prevent plants from absorbing nutrients and this leads to low photo-synthetic activity. This in turn generates curled leaves in the tomato.
How to measure salinity and improve the soil
The measurement of the salinity of the soil is done through the electrical conductivity (EC) of the circulating solution. A saline soil is improved with rainwater. There are also on the market corrective bio stimulant products, to be combined with irrigation water. Finally, a good basic fertilization with theuse of manureimproves the soil and lowers its salinity.
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