![]() ![]() Bacterial Watermelon Diseases Angular leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae) Photo By Jason Brock, University of Georgia, ![]() If suspicion of VW exists, plant in a different field. Do not plant in areas where other susceptible crops have been grown previously. Symptoms: Generally, symptoms appear after fruit set chlorotic leaves which develop necrotic areas leaves collapsing symptoms only on one side of the vine discoloration of vascular tissue in roots.Ĭontrol: Favored by cool or mild weather in spring, delay planting until temperatures are warmer. Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahlia) Photo By OSU Extension Symptoms: Round or irregular brown lesions with faint concentric rings on cotyledons brown or white lesions on crown and stems soft, circular brown lesions on fruit lesions on stems and fruit may be oozing an amber-colored sticky substance.Ĭontrol: Rotate crops every 2-3 years to a non-cucurbit to reduce disease build-up in soil reduce crop residue in soil by plowing plant debris into the soil after harvest application of preventative fungicides is usually required to control the disease successfully. Gummy stem blight (Didymella bryoniae) Photo By David B. The fungus survives on plant debris spread by wind and water splash occurs mainly in tropical and subtropical growing regions. Symptoms: Initial symptoms of the disease occur on older leaves as small spots with light to tan-brown centers as the disease progresses, the lesions enlarge to cover large areas of the leaf surface lesions may have a dark border and be surrounded by a chlorotic area the centers of the lesions may become brittle and crack.Ĭontrol: Diseased plants should be removed and destroyed to prevent further spread crop debris should be removed after harvest or plowed deeply into the soil to reduce inoculum. Cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora citrulline) Photo By Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Symptoms: Angular dark brown or black spots or lesions on leaves with yellow border elongated lesions with sunken centers on stems and fruit.Ĭontrol: Rotate crops with non-cucurbits every 1-2 years to prevent disease build-up plant only disease-free, or treated seed. Anthracnose Colletotrichum orbiculare Photo By Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Symptoms: Wilting plants wilting usually confined to one or more vines foliage has a dull gray-green appearance and turns yellow as the disease progresses vascular tissue has a red discoloration.Ĭontrol: Plant in well-draining soils and avoid waterlogging plant fungicide treated seed rotate crops on a 4-year rotation. Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) Photo By Howard F. ![]() Spores survive on plant debris transmitted via wind and rain. Symptoms: Small, yellow-brown spots with a yellow or green halo which first appear on the oldest leaves as the disease progresses, lesions expand and become large dead patches, often with a concentric pattern lesions eventually grow together, leaves begin to curl and eventually die off.Ĭontrol: Rotate crop with non-cucurbit for at least 2 years plow crop debris deeply into the soil after harvest avoid overhead irrigation, water plants at base apply appropriate protective fungicides. Fungal Watermelon Diseases Alternaria leaf spot or Brown spot (Alternaria spp.) Photo By David B. So, no matter where or whom you purchase seed from, you must be aware of the symptoms to help prevent the spread of these transmittable diseases. This is true for any seed you may purchase. Some of these pathogens can be seed-borne and although at Jung Seed Company we procure all our seeds from reputable sources, and rigorously test for germination standards many pathogens such as Bacterial Fruit Blotch, may be present on a seed coat without our knowledge. Do The Diseases Come From The Watermelon Seed? This article is a quick and helpful guide toward possible identification and diagnosis. Many have similar but observably different symptoms. Watermelon and other cucurbit plants can become infected with numerous, common fungal and bacterial pathogens. ![]()
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