How To Recognize Watermelon Diseases?

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Growing watermelons is not only a great pleasure, but also a great responsibility. Site preparation, growing healthy seedlings and proper care of growing watermelons take not only time, but also energy. But often our stubborn efforts are complicated by extremely unpleasant diseases affecting watermelons. How do you recognize their main symptoms?

Black rot

On the watermelon stalks and leaves attacked by this harmful disease, grayish-whitish spots are formed, abundantly covered with black mushroom sclerotia. After a while, the infected leaves begin to rot or wither. The fungus-causative agent of this infection is spread not only by insects or by the wind, but also with poorly washed garden tools or with infected seeds.

Powdery mildew

Watermelon leaves are gradually covered with whitish spots with a characteristic mealy bloom. Young leaves struck by the ill-fated misfortune die off rather quickly. And berries on plants attacked by powdery mildew are formed with unimportant sugar content and very tasteless. Moreover, they are often affected by various rot or deformed.

Gray rot

Young ovaries of affected watermelons are watery and become covered with black mushroom sclerotia and mold at lightning speed. And a little later, all the infected areas are tightened with a rather fluffy mycelium. Particularly intensive development of the pathogen is noted at a temperature of about fifteen degrees, and when warm weather is established, gray rot is much less rampant.

Root rot

Most often, it develops when humid cold weather is established, with sharp temperature changes, as well as when the most important agrotechnical rules are not followed. Watermelon roots thicken noticeably and begin to crack, and their surfaces become very fibrous. And the leaves on the growing watermelons turn yellow and wither almost instantly.

Anthracnose

This attack is manifested in the appearance of brownish or yellowish specks on the watermelon leaves, covered with numerous pinkish-yellowish pads. And the fruits and stems begin to gradually become covered with brownish and black sores. If the weather is humid, the spots will quickly become covered with a specific pinkish bloom. In the case of a particularly severe defeat, the growing crops die completely (rot and dry out).

Angular spotting

Affected watermelon leaves begin to become covered with grayish-whitish oily specks. And in the outbreaks of mass destruction, one can often notice strongly perforated leaves and fallen stems with twigs. As for the fruits, they soften significantly, become transparent and completely stop their growth. In most cases, angular spotting is transmitted by seeds and insects.

White rot

This disease attacks flowers with thin leaves with particular force. The stems and leaves of watermelon quickly collapse, and a little less often, white rot leads to the complete destruction of the fruit. The development of this ailment is largely facilitated by a temperature of about twelve degrees, sudden temperature drops and high humidity.

Mosaic

On the leaves of a watermelon affected by this viral disease, there are clearly visible light areas alternating with light green. Growing crops begin to noticeably lag behind in growth, and on infected fruits, in addition to the characteristic mosaic color, one can observe pinpoint, tuberosity and swelling.

Olive spot

Especially strongly this infection affects the fruits, however, it goes very well to the rest of the above-ground organs. Irregular specks appear on the leaves of the watermelon, and the leaves themselves often become corrugated. And on the stalks with petioles, ulcers are formed, which are covered with a characteristic bloom of olive shades at high humidity. Dried watermelon ovaries quickly fall off, and the growth of the culture completely stops. As for the fruits, very unpleasant ulcers almost always appear on them. By the way, olive spotting often leads to a significant reduction in crop volumes.