Multiple aphid- and whitefly- transmitted viruses are an increasing threat to melon production in the southwestern United States. Often plants are infected by a mixture of different viruses, posing challenges for disease management and efforts to develop resistant varieties. To help address this problem the USDA Wintermantel team in Salinas CA developed a multiplex single-step RT-PCR method to simultaneously test and differentiate among the among the different viruses. Sampling of melon production regions in California and Arizona found that different combinations of viruses were dominant in fall vs. spring seasons, providing important information for disease management in areas impacted by cucurbit yellowing viruses.
For further reading:
- Differential seasonal prevalence of yellowing viruses infecting melon crops in southern California and Arizona determined by multiplex RT-PCR and RT-qPCR
Shaonpius Mondal, Laura Jenkins Hladky, and William M. Wintermantel
Published in Plant Disease on Feb 1, 2023.
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-06-22-1512-RE
