Yellow pear tomato plants mysteriously dying

[Boboe]

I've got several varieties of tomatoes in buckets (nematodes kill my tomatoes if put in the ground), and most are doing well. I've got multiple plants of each variety. Two of my four yellow pear tomato plants are just dying off. The other ones look great. All of them have green fruit on them. On the dying ones, the leaves are turning yellow then brown, and the plant has no vigor. It's just dying off, and I can't see why. Any thoughts?

[PaulF]

Without a photo and maybe some more information it is hard to guess, but here are some thoughts: do your containers have drainage holes? if not maybe they are overwatered; are all your containers in the same sunlight? if not maybe they are sun scalded or are they underwatered compared to the rest? do the containers all have the same soil? do you replenish the nutrients every week or ten days because of watering that will flush out the necessary plant food?

My first guess is over or under watering or something different in the placement of the containers. Lots of folks here can see the problem quickly and advise but a photo will make all the difference.

[Boboe]

I'll get some pics later today. The only thing I really notice is that the lower portion of the trunk has a lot of bumps on it.

The plants get the same amount of sun, water, soil, and added nutrients as the ones that are doing well. That's why it's baffling to me.

[PaulF]

The bumps are actually root nodules. Often if the plant is under stress it will try an compensate by growing more roots. The stress can be caused by a vascular problem. Not enough nutrients making it to the plant. Could be root damage, herbicide damage if the plants were subject to that somehow, high humidity and again overwatering or the drainage holes blocked. Or just a plant that has been unhealthy from the beginning and it is showing up now.