Interest in producing specialty melons (Cucumis melo) is increasing in Florida, but information on yield performance, fruit quality, and disease resistance of specialty melon cultivars grown in Florida conditions is limited. In this study conducted at Citra, FL, during the 2011 Spring season, 10 specialty melon cultivars were evaluated, in both certified organic and conventionally managed fields, including: Creme de la Creme and San Juan ananas melon (C. melo var. reticulatus), Brilliant and Camposol canary melon (C. melo var. inodorus), Ginkaku and Sun Jewel asian melon (C. melo var. makuwa), Arava and Diplomat galia melon (C. melo var. reticulatus), and Honey Pearl and Honey Yellow honeydew melon (C. melo var. inodorus). ‘Athena’ cantaloupe (C. melo var. reticulatus) was included as a control. ‘Sun Jewel’, ‘Diplomat’, ‘Honey Yellow’, and ‘Honey Pearl’ were early maturing cultivars that were harvested 10 days earlier than ‘Athena’. ‘Athena’ had the highest marketable yield in the conventional field (10.7 kg/plant), but the yield of ‘Camposol’, ‘Ginkaku’, ‘Honey Yellow’, and ‘Honey Pearl’ did not differ significantly from ‘Athena’. Under organic production, ‘Camposol’ showed a significantly higher marketable yield (8.3 kg/plant) than ‘Athena’ (6.8 kg/plant). ‘Ginkaku’ produced the largest fruit number per plant in both organic (10 fruit/plant) and conventional fields (12 fruit/plant) with smaller fruit size compared with other melon cultivars. Overall, the specialty melon cultivars, except for asian melon, did not differ significantly from ‘Athena’ in terms of marketable fruit number per plant. ‘Sun Jewel’, ‘Diplomat’, and ‘San Juan’ showed relatively high percentages of cull fruit. ‘Honey Yellow’, ‘Honey Pearl’, and ‘Sun Jewel’ exhibited higher soluble solids concentration (SSC) than ‘Athena’ in both organic and conventional fields, while ‘Brilliant’, ‘San Juan’, and ‘Ginkaku’ also had higher SSC than ‘Athena’ under organic production. ‘Honey Yellow’, ‘Sun Jewel’, ‘Brilliant’, and ‘Camposol’ were less affected by powdery mildew (caused by Podosphaera xanthii) and downy mildew (caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis) in the conventional field. ‘Honey Yellow’ and ‘Camposol’ also had significantly lower aboveground disease severity ratings in the organic field compared with ‘Athena’, although the root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne sp.) gall rating was higher in ‘Honey Yellow’ than ‘Athena’.
Podosphaera xanthii (Castagne) U. Braun & Shishkoff (syn. Sphaerotheca fuliginea ). Specifically, the hypocotyls, cotyledons, and true leaves of these four PMR lines are highly resistant to PM compared with the susceptible watermelon line USVL677-PMS
( Podosphaera xanthii ) and Phytophthora capsica that cause Phytophthora fruit rot. In comparison, the watermelon cultivar Mickey Lee and watermelon germplasm line USVL677-PMS are highly susceptible to P. xanthii and P. capsici . The hypocotyls, cotyledons
USVL351-PMR (powdery mildew resistant) and USVL482-PMR are bottle gourd ( Lagenaria siceraria ) germplasm lines that exhibit high levels of resistance to the cucurbit powdery mildew (PM) pathogen ( Podosphaera xanthii ) compared with susceptible
resistance to powdery mildew ( Podosphaera xanthii ) races 1 and 2 and downy mildew ( Pseudoperonospora cubensis ). The F 3 selection from ‘Cruiser’ is also a Western shipper type, with large (size 9), firm fruit, a ropy net, and small abscission scar. It is
with ‘Top Mark’ ( Table 3 ). This study had been planted in the field at DREC in Fall 2003 initially to determine the inheritance of resistance in PI 313970 to an apparent new race of powdery mildew incited by Podosphaera xanthii on melon ( McCreight
Powdery mildew in watermelon [C itrullus lanatus (Thumb.) Matsum. and Nakai] caused by the fungus Podosphaera xanthii race 2W has in recent years become a concern among growers as well as plant breeders in United States ( Davis et al., 2001
multiple applications of this treatment, and it is suggested to use lower rates due to the risk of developing pathogen resistance. Lebeda et al. (2010 ) reported that cucurbit powdery mildew ( Podosphaera xanthii ) had developed resistance to seven
was echoed in a recently conducted needs assessment of organic vegetable growers in the Northeast ( Hultengren et al., 2016 ). In the United States, infection by powdery mildew ( Podosphaera xanthii, syn. Sphaerotheca fuliginea ) causes yield losses
is put into controlling diseases that could decrease the value of the crop. Powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera xanthii and Erysiphe cichoracearum , is one of the major diseases that reduce the yield of susceptible pumpkins ( McGrath and Thomas