אסיף מאגר המחקר החקלאי

Sudden wilt of melons in southern Israel: Fungal agents and relationship with plant development

Year:

1997

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Volume :

81

Co-Authors:

Pivonia, S., Arava Research and Development, Sapir Center 86825, Israel
Cohen, R., Department of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, P.O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 30095, Israel
Kafkafi, U., Department of Field Crops, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Fac. Agric., Food and Environ. Sci., Rehovot 76100, Israel
Ben Ze'ev, I.S., Min. of Agric. and Rural Development, Plant Protect. and Inspection Serv., P.O. Box 78, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Katan, J., Department of Plant Pathology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Fac. Agric., Food and Environ. Sci., Rehovot 76100, Israel

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Abstract:

Fungi belonging to five genera, Monosporascus sp., Pythium aphanidermatum, Rhizoctonia solani, Olpidium sp., Fusarium solani, and F. proliferatum, were the species most frequently isolated from the root systems of wilted melon. Diseased plants were collected from 24 fields in the northern and central Arava region of southern Israel during the fall seasons of 1994 and 1995. In pathogenicity tests conducted under field conditions, in artificially inoculated microplots, the first wilt symptoms were observed at various stages of fruit maturation. High mortality levels (73 to 97%) were recorded for inoculation combinations in which Monosporascus sp. was involved. Inoculations with the other fungi listed resulted in lower incidences of wilt. The combination of F. solani and P. aphanidermatum resulted in higher mortality than that caused by each pathogen alone. Monosporascus sp. seems to be the primary pathogen, although other fungi could also induce wilt. The dry weight of plants grown in naturally infested soil ceased to accumulate 33 days after transplanting, in contrast to plants grown in methyl bromide-treated soil. At this stage, the first wilt symptoms were observed. Fruit load affected wilt incidence. At the end of the growing season, 98% mortality was recorded for plants having the normal fruit load (2.5 fruits per plant) compared with 75 and 12% for plants that had their fruits thinned to one or zero per plant, respectively.

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