Miller's work will include screening fungicides for their ability to control gummy stem blight and powdery mildew. For monosporascus, also known as vine decline, he'll be evaluating various chemical controls and the use of Tricoderma, a competing fungus that has shown promise as a biological control agent. Miller also reported to the committee a new melon virus to the area that causes yellowing of vine leaves. The virus has been widespread throughout melon fields in Mexico, causing major production problems there, Miller said. Symptoms include yellowing of main leaves in mature plants and a speckling effect on young leaves.
Plants seem to stop growing and fruit quality suffers.
As with most viruses, Miller expects this virus to be less severe in next year's larger spring crop than in the current fall crop. Proposals for insect control include studies by Dr. T. X. Liu, a vegetable IPM entomologist at the Weslaco Center, who will be evaluating six new melon varieties for resistance to the silverleaf whitefly. Whiteflies feed on plant leaves, leaving behind a sticky waste product on both leaves and fruit called honeydew that attracts a fungus known as sooty mold. This fungus kills off leaves and turns fruit black. As a result, cantaloupes lose their visual appeal to consumers and are much smaller and not as sweet as unaffected fruit.