George Szczepanski, Executive Director of the National Watermelon Association (NWA) reached out to the research community about NWA’s commitment to funding research that supports watermelon farmers including research on pest and disease risk mitigation and food safety. The research that NWA funds through this program is entirely focused on production research, aimed at solving issues growers face on a regional or national basis. Consumer-focused research, such as studies on human health outcomes from consumption, market research, and other supply chain research, are not part of this grant program.
Priority Areas
The highest priorities for research are:
• Fusarium wilt
• Phytophthora capsici
Other concerns include:
• Anthracnose
• Downy Mildew
• Cucumber Beetle
• Spider Mite
• Gummy Stem Blight
• Virus/ virus vectors / vector control
• Increasing vigor in early stage plants
