Sudden Wilt and Death of Melon Plants (June 25, 2014)

Temperatures are rising, melon plantings are maturing, and sudden wilt and death of melon plants is occurring. What causes this sudden collapse of plants? In the desert melon production areas of Arizona and California, symptoms of melon plant wilting and collapse usually can be attributed to one of four diseases; Charcoal rot, Fusarium wilt, Monosporascus root rot and vine decline, or Pythium sudden wilt. Each of these diseases is caused by a different soil-borne plant pathogen; so knowing what management options are available first requires accurate identification of the responsible pathogen. Charcoal rot, Fusarium wilt, and Monosporascus rot, which are caused respectively by the fungal pathogens Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium oxysporum, and Monosporascus cannonballus, are not effectively controlled by fungicides at this time. Preventative actions that may lessen the severity of these diseases include planting resistant melon varieties when available (for Fusarium wilt) and minimizing plant stress. Plant stress due to over- or under-irrigation can be managed; however, other crop stresses due to fruit load and hot temperatures are obviously beyond your control. The other disease mentioned was Pythium sudden wilt. Pythium, the pathogen that causes this disease, is a fungus-like soil-borne organism that can be managed by fungicides, such as mefenoxam. However, the difficulty in preventing extensive Pythium sudden wilt is that once this disease is initially identified in a field, rapid deployment of an effective fungicide treatment will protect noninfected plants but may not save plants already infected but not yet displaying sudden wilt symptoms. Knowing the disease history for melons in a particular field can help you to be prepared for the possible recurrence of that disease in a future planting.

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To contact Mike Matheron go to: matheron@ag.arizona.edu.