Speckled, mottled, or otherwise deformed leaves and fruit usually indicate a mosaic disease. Mosaic diseases are a collection of viral infections that can infect most of your garden plants. Since these diseases are difficult or impossible to treat, recognizing and removing infected plants as soon as possible can help prevent the disease from spreading. Symptoms of mosaic diseases The classic mottled appearance of infected leaves is only one symptom of a mosaic disease. Leaf cupping, blistering, stunting, crinkling, and other distortions are other common symptoms of mosaic diseases. Stems may also be shorter, creating a bushy appearance to vines. Fruit may also show the same mottling and other distortions seen on leaves. Warty bumps are also commonly seen. Plants infected early in the growing season rarely produce fruit. Interestingly, plants infected later in the season retain their healthy, earlier growth and fruit production. Distortions only occur in post-infection leaves and fruit. Plants that host mosaic diseases It would be easier to list plants that are not affected by mosaics. But the plants most commonly infected with mosaic diseases include the following:
Common mosaic diseases
While there are dozens (hundreds?) of mosaic diseases, some of the more common varieties include this list:
Mosaic disease management Generally speaking, mosaic diseases are not curable. Remove infected plants and toss them in the garbage. Prevention is a far better course of action. Depending on the specific virus, it may catch a ride into your garden on seeds, tools, aphids, dryberry mites, and other sap-sucking pests. These tips can help reduce the chance of a mosaic disease robbing you of your harvest:
While mosaic diseases make plants look funny, the fruit of infected plants is still safe to eat. The viruses responsible for mosaic diseases are not harmful to people.
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