Hydration

• Tomato plants can suffer if their soil receives less than 1 inch of water per week, according to Iowa State University Extension. Drought conditions can cause sudden and severe wilting in tomato plants, requiring gardeners to water the plants every week.
  
  

Diseases

• Certain diseases can cause tomato plants to wilt. Wilted leaves that point downward and have brown edges, for instance, may indicate a disease called bacterial canker, according to Colorado State University Extension. Other diseases that cause wilting include fusarium crown rot, tomato spotted wilt virus and necrotic spot virus.
  
  

Solutions

• Wilted tomato plants may require different care depending on the source of the wilting. Tomato plants with bacterial canker cannot recover and may infect other plants, necessitating their destruction. Plants that wilt from insufficient moisture, on the other hand, recover quickly once they get the water they need.