‘Mountain Pride’ Tomato (Photo credit: Dr. Randy Gardner, retired NCSU Plant Breeder)

Tomatoes are attacked by several diseases and insects. Most serious diseases are early blight, spotted wilt virus (TSWV), fusarium wilt (FW), Stemphylium Gray Leaf Spot (St), Alternaria leaf spot (A), and root knot nematodes (N).

Major insect problems are aphids, thrips, stink bugs, blister beetles, fruit worms, horn worms, leaf miners, fruit flies, and white flies.

Some problems are nutritionally- or environmentally-caused including blossom end rot (low soil calcium, lack of soil moisture), fruit cracking (excess water and high temperatures), sudden wilting (root damage from cultivation or drowning), blossom drop (drastic temperature changes, poor nutrition), and sunscald to fruit (loss of foliage from disease).

The most impressive series of disease resistant tomato varieties has come from the breeding program of Dr. Randy Gardner at the Mountain Crops Research Station in Western North Carolina. Over a past twenty years, he has released over a dozen very productive, great tasting tomato varieties starting with Mountain Pride. Here are nine in the series:

• Mountain Pride – crack resistant large red fruits; VFFASt resistant
• Mountain True – indeterminate late blight, resistant to early blight and fruit cracking; sweet tasting 2 oz.      campari tomato
• Mountain Fresh – determinate, late producing; large 10 oz. fruits with red skin and red flesh color; VFFN      resistant
• Mountain Majesty – large 3 ½ inch crimson fruit; FW, VW, and TSWV resistant
• Mountain Glory – high yielding 12 oz. red globe shaped fruits; VFF and TSWV resistant
• Mountain Spring – determinate, bush-type tomato; large 9 oz. fruits; VF resistant
• Mountain Magic – indeterminate, highly disease resistant; 2 oz. fruits; VF resistant
• Mountain Supreme – determinate, mid-season, red globe; VF, early blight resistant
• Mountain Belle – high yielding small bright red cherry tomatoes; crack resistant

Code Symbols meaning:
V  Verticillium wilt
F  Fusarium wilt
FF  Fusarium, races 1 and 2