Lincoln A printed copy with photos is available . This broadsheet aims to help growers identify WMV, ZYMV and SMV, show how they are spread and suggest action a grower can take to minimise damage to squash crops.
Viruses are small transmissible pathogens that use components of their host plant cells to multiply.
In the process of infecting their host, they often damage or disrupt the plant's normal growing pattern, causing such visible symptoms as leaf mottle, leaf distortion, plant stunting and flower colour break. The most common squash viruses, ZYMV and WMV, are primarily transmitted from plant to plant by aphid vectors. Aphids can become infected after feeding for only 15 seconds on an infected plant. Melon aphid infesting squash leaves They can subsequently transmit the virus for up to 4 hours. Seed transmission of ZYMV may occur at very low rates in zucchini and there is some experimental evidence of seed transmission in squash.