Three of of my 6" tall above the ground tomato plants suddenly declined and drooped overnight. I watered them and one seemed to recover, but then drooped again. I dug them up to replace them and noticed that they each had a 2/3 gouged out stem from one to three inches below the surface with new roots trying to grow above it.

I suspected a cutworm, but discovered a worm that looked just like one of the tomato roots. It was an inch long and white and thin as the root. The only way I knew it was a worm was that it wiggled.

Could this worm do this damage? If so, what is it and how do I control it? If not, what is going on?

I have never had this kind of problem before. I did get new garden soil this year which was a mix of compost, rice huls and pine bark--and maybe strange white worms...

Bob