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Ring Around the Tomato Stem #879063

Asked July 27, 2024, 8:25 PM EDT

I have 24 tomato plants: 20 are the variety call Celebrity, 4 are unknown varieties. All of them are in the same plots and treated the same way, once they were planted. All of them are heavy with fruit -- all green still, with more blossoms on their vines. On some tomatoes, there is a brown ring on the fruit, right under the curly, star-shaped 'cap' where the fruit grows out of the vine. So far, I have only found this on tomatoes that are Celebrities. However, not all of the Celebrities have the brown rings. For example, all fruit of a single plant may not be affected. I do not know if it is present on every single plant. Can you tell me what this brown ring is, what the fate of the particular tomato that has a ring will be and whether this will eventually affect all the tomatoes? Is there anything I can do to stop or reverse the condition? Does the condition render the affected tomato inedible? Will the condition prevent the tomato from ripening? What causes this to happen? One of the photos captures an insect at the affected part. Does it have anything to do with the problem? What can I do to avoid this in the future (apart from not planting tomatoes, which is not an option.) Thank you so much for any advice you can offer.

Stearns County Minnesota

Expert Response

Good Morning Mary, 

Thank you for contacting the U of M Extension Service.

Please click on the following link from the U of M Extension Yard and Garden website about growing tomatoes: https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-tomatoes#disorders-3182362

If you scroll down to "Disorders" it discusses all the different disorders of tomatoes. I do not know what the brown rings are.  From viewing your photos, your tomatoes look beautiful. As they turn red, you might watch what happens to the tomatoes with the brown rings. Maybe this will result in "yellow shoulders" or harder cores as they ripen. Hopefully with that many plants you will have enough tomatoes. 

There are many different diseases and pests of tomatoes. We don't always have the answers. I would wait and see how they ripen. You might compare the brown ring tomatoes with the none ring when they ripen to observe the changes. 

Good Luck!


Maureen Graber Replied July 28, 2024, 9:40 AM EDT

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