See tips from the experts at UF/IFAS on managing watermelon diseases that are commonly found in North Florida.
“Managing watermelon diseases is one of the most critical aspects of successfully growing watermelons in North Florida;” that’s the advice from a UF/IFAS blog. Our last blog shared those diseases most common in watermelon in Florida from the UF/IFAS publication; now we share its “basic considerations and a few pointers” on managing diseases in watermelon. See them below.
Considerations and Pointers for Managing Watermelon Diseases
The blog shared the following tips on managing watermelon diseases:
- “A three-to-five-year non-cucurbit crop rotation is recommended for reducing diseases. However, fields with a Fusarium wilt history should use non-host rotations of more than 5 years. Avoid double cropping cucurbit crops using the same plastic, as this can lead to significant disease issues in the right environments.
- Inspect transplants. Healthy transplants are critical to managing gummy stem blight, Fusarium wilt, and bacterial diseases as these diseases can be spread by seed. Inspecting transplants and removing diseased seedlings, including symptomless plants surrounding them, will reduce risk.
- Spray early and consistently to efficiently manage disease. Fungicides are more effective when applied preventatively rather than as a cure.
- Rotate fungicide chemistries to minimize the risk of selecting for resistant fungal pathogens. The Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) developed a number and letter code that can be used to distinguish fungicides’ modes of action. Rotating different modes of action is an important step in prolonging a fungicide’s effectiveness.
- Fungicides should be selected based on the target pathogen. Many fungicides can control multiple diseases, but in general they are most effective for specific pathogens. Accurate diagnostics are important when selecting proper fungicide products or developing a management plan.”
See our last blog in the series for more information on spray intervals.
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