If you see symptoms or damage from the following, make note and manage prior to future planting.
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Charcoal rot
Identification tip: Crown leaves yellow. As disease progresses, stem of infected plant eventually becomes dry and tan to brown. If lesion girdles the stem, the plant dies. First disease symptoms occur late in the growing season, usually within 1 to 2 weeks of harvest. |
Fusarium wilt (cantaloupe)
Identification tip:
Symptoms include the yellowing of a runner on one side of the plant followed rapidly by wilting of the runner. |
Fusarium wilt (watermelon)
Identification tip: Symptoms are more readily seen after fruit set and may consist of dark vascular discoloration inside stems and yellowing and wilting of one runner or one side of the plant (not shown here). |
Root knot nematodes
Identification tip: Feeding causes plant roots to enlarge into galls that can be seen with the naked eye. |
Root rot disease
Identification tip: Stem collapses and turns tan to brown, roots die, and leaves wilt. |
Sudden wilt (Pythium species)
Identification tip: Symptoms typically occur from fruit set onward and consist of yellowing crown leaves that die prematurely followed by a rapid collapse of
entire plants. |
Verticillium wilt
Identification tip: Wilting and yellowing of crown leaves, which eventually dry up. Gradually the wilting progresses to runner tips. |
Vine disease decline
Identification tip: Characterized by the sudden and generally uniform canopy collapse of entire fields 1 to 2 weeks before harvest. |
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| Viruses |
Cucumber mosaic
Identification tip: First symptom is clearing of veins, followed by development of mosaic patterns or mottling (alternating zones of dark green, light green, and yellow). |
Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows
Identification tip: This disease causes a general yellowing of older leaves, which become thick and leathery while their major veins remain green. |
Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder
Identification tip:
First yellow spots appear on leaves, which develop into interveinal chlorosis (veins remain more or less green but the rest of the leaf turns bright yellow). |
Potyvirus (caused by Watermelon mosaic virus or Papaya ringspot virus)
Identification tip:
The first symptom is a vein clearing, followed by development of mosaic patterns or mottling (alternating zones of dark green, light green, and yellow). |
Potyvirus (caused by Zuchinni Yellow Mosaic Virus)
Identification tip: This virus can cause leaf lobes to grow long and narrow. |
Photo unavailable
Squash mosaic virus
Identification tip: Leaves may have mosaic patterns or mottling. |
