Rick, relative to TMV, all this stuff makes you wonder about how much we really don't know or haven't discovered yet. I know (I think) I've never observed TMV here. But just because I don't grow tobacco or smoke doesn't mean my lilies won't get it. It's most probably because I don't have any susceptible hosts and/or common vectors in the area at present. Tobacco can have other virus too, like Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV) and Tobacco Ringspot Virus (TRSV) which can apparently infect lilies, although far less reported. Another thing that puzzles me is that nearly every book I have cautions smokers to thoroughly wash their hands before handling lilies. Well, I've always thought virus live only in a live host and when the host dies, so does the virus. Processed tobacco is pretty dead in my book! So how can that be?
I think for lily growers like myself, the important thing is staying focused on the three main virus's: Lily Symptomless Virus, Cucumber Mosaic Virus and Lily Mottling Virus or Tulip Breaking Virus. And then, being aware of all the common susceptible hosts and common vectors in the area. It doesn't mean I'm going to stop growing cucumbers, squash, beans and tomatoes, etc., but rather knowing how and where to grow them.
