Melons

Fusarium wilt in Watermelons is caused by the soil borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Niveum and several new races have been identified in Maryland.

Early this month, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works issued a Required Boil Water Advisory for parts of Baltimore City and a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for a larger portion of the city and part of Baltimore County due to E. coli being identified in municipal water in parts of the city. While the Department of Public Works (DPW) has received the all-clear from the Maryland Department of Environment to lift the boil water advisory, below are some tips for farmers in the event a similar event happens in the future.

Fusarium Wilt, caused by the soil borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum is becoming more problematic in seedless watermelon production in Southern Maryland. Unfortunately, there are few effective management options for this soil borne disease. New races of Fusarium Wilt are now present in the area that can overcome traditional cultivar resistance. Effective fungicides are limited and do not provide season-long control at labeled rates. In many cases, once a field is infested with Fusarium Wilt, watermelon production is no longer a viable option. One option that has been effective in other areas is grafting of susceptible cultivars onto fusarium resistant rootstocks of interspecific hybrid squash or citron species. Watermelon grafting is more difficult than tomato grafting and is normally done by outside companies who specialize in the technique.