What is going on with this Roma tomato?
Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV).
Justin Ballew, ©2024, Clemson Extension
The tie-dye appearance of this tomato is due to it being infected by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). TSWV is an important virus of tomato, pepper, eggplant, peanuts, tobacco, etc. that causes significant yield loss to affected plants. The virus is transmitted by thrips feeding. While TSWV shows up to some degree each year, it is not as common in commercial fields as it was in the past, thanks to the availability of resistant varieties. TSWV is still very common in home gardens due to the preference for heirloom varieties, which have no resistance. Varieties with resistance to TSWV are listed in the 2024 SE Vegetable Crop Handbook on pages 84-85 (peppers) and 111-112 (tomatoes).
