Fusarium Wilt a Problem in Watermelons in South Carolina
CucCAP plant pathologist Tony Keinath recently reported in The South Carolina Grower that Fusarium wilt disease is becoming more widespread in watermelon fields in South Carolina.
CucCAP plant pathologist Tony Keinath recently reported in The South Carolina Grower that Fusarium wilt disease is becoming more widespread in watermelon fields in South Carolina.
Fusarium wilt symptoms can appear at any growth stage.
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.
Vegetable & Specialty Crop News reports on crop and disease management information from UGA: Watermelon plants can become infected in multiple ways. The pathogen can produce spores that survive in the soil, be seedborne and be introduced to fields where watermelons have never been grown.
Multiple disease screens of the USDA watermelon germplasm collection have highlighted the value of wild type watermelons as a source for enhancing resistance to diseases in modern watermelon cultivars. CucCAP researchers collaborated with Sakata Seed America on generating genetic populations and on conducting genetic analyses to identify genetic loci that confer resistance to Fusarium wilt and papaya ring-spot virus.
Five years ago, there was no solid foundation for managing Fusarium wilt in watermelons. Now, researchers have identified several techniques watermelon growers can use to help combat the disease.
Fusarium Wilt has a host range limited to watermelon. However, there are different types of this pathogen that can infect squash, cucumbers and other melons, but these types do not infect watermelon and vice versa. This is one reason why grafting with squash or other cucurbit rootstocks can nearly eliminate Fusarium Wilt.
Gummy stem blight (GSB) and fusarium wilt (FW) can be common problems for watermelon producers in the Southeast. These two diseases are caused by fungal pathogens from the same taxonomic subphylum, but that is where the similarities end. GSB tends to be more of a foliar pathogen that can move to the petioles and vines, and in extreme cases, the melons. FW is confined to the soil and only affects the plant’s vascular tissue. Because of these differences, the management of these pathogens tends to vary.