The Vegetable & Specialty Crops Newsletter is an online publication focusing on news for vegetable growers in the Southeast. The April edition includes news of interest to watermelon producers.
Meet the CucCAP Squash Team
CucCAP researchers develop high-throughput method for quantification of pathogen growth
Researchers at Michigan State University used a fluorescent isolate of the broad host range pathogen, Phytophthora capsici, to develop a high-throughput, microtiter plate assay for replicated quantification of pathogen growth on plant tissue in real time. This method, which can detect pathogen growth prior to development of symptoms, can assist with screening for disease resistance, mapping of resistance loci, testing efficacy of control measures, or elucidation of fundamental host-pathogen interactions.
Cucurbit Downy Mildew Forecasting Resumes for the 2021 growing season
The 2021 forecasting season began on March 17 including the first report of CDM reported in Collier County, Florida on March 1, 2021.
Managing Fusarium Wilt Disease in Watermelons | VSCNews
Growers can protect against Fusarium wilt disease by checking their seedlings for wilting symptoms before transplanting, monitoring plants in the field, and timing fungicide applications.
CucCAP squash breeders investigate resistance of two potyviruses
In Peurto Rico, Genotypes of Cucurbita moschata with a range of susceptibility were inoculated with Papaya ringspot virus and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus and evaluated in the greenhouse and field.
CucCAP’s Meru leading multi-institution Calbaza project | VGNews
Dr. Meru’s team will collaborate with the universities of Puerto Rico and Georgia on the grant named “Specialty Pumpkin: Laying the Groundwork for an Emerging Crop and Lucrative Products.”
Faster test detects watermelon disease | VGNews
University of Georgia researchers have now developed a faster way to detect the presence of Fusarium wilt.