I'm very interested to know about Tobacco Mosaic Virus, as I will have tomatoes and peppers again this year, and am wondering if smoking is to blame for my poor luck (hurricanes notwithstanding).

-J

Foliage diseases can be found everywhere while systemic diseases are very regionalized.

In genjeral, of the VFNY ojnes you mention, Fusarium is found only where the winters are mild and the ground doesn't freeze, or only slightly. The three races of F have different distributions as well.

Verticillium is more of a northern problem, but isn't that common and can be found in the south.

RKN's are only a problem along the East Coast about from GA south to FL and along the Gulf Coast up to CA.

TMV has not been a problem for home gardenres in many years. Tobacco grown for the last 20 years in the US is TMV tolerant. Turkish tobacco is not. The major incidence of TMV is in large greenhouse operations where it is transmistted mechanically, not by insect vector.

Carolyn, not editing bc she's in a hurry. ( smile)

(I have heard that Nematodes are really only a problem in sandy soil.)
Not so in Hawaii, where nematodes are everywhere, even in heavy clay soil, and we have several crop damaging types, including root-knot, cyst, burrowing, lesion, and reniform, and even foliar types :(
I am very interested in varieties labeled w/ N!

even in heavy clay soil, and we have several crop damaging types, including root-knot, cyst, burrowing, lesion, and reniform, and even foliar types :(
I am very interested in varieties labeled w/ N!

That is true with regard to clay type soils also being a problem in warm weather areas and HI does have those problems.

Since about 1990 I've read the feedback from those who have RKN problems as to what is and is not gained from planting N tolerant varieties.

What has been your own personal experience in that regard?

Carolyn

Although I think of the N rating as a plus when I shop for seeds, I'm afraid I actually have no idea whether the N rating really did make a difference in my garden, since I only started tomato growing less than 2 years ago, and have been trying to avoid the problem by mostly planting in pots -- so far the only ones that went in the ground were Arkansas Traveler (packet advertised as N-tolerant, plants stayed healthy for about 9 months), the N types bred by the University of Hawaii, and Matt's Wild Cherry (which died suddenly after only a few months for reasons unknown to me).
I did not notice root galls when I pulled them, but it's possible I just didn't recognize them, but I tried to take preventive measures by adding lots of organic matter to the soil, including crab, shrimp, and egg shells covered w/ compost into the planting holes, and tilled in lots of nematocidal marigolds. This year I am contemplating trying more varieties in the ground.