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Article: On guard against watermelon vine decline.
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- November 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Deep in winter, we dream of summertime and delicious outdoor picnics filled with hot dogs, lemonade, and refreshing watermelon. But the availability of that popular, nutritious fruit could be drastically affected by a looming new threat.
Watermelon vine decline--or WVD--is a crippling disease of watermelon that has made a serious economic impact since first being seen in Florida in May 2003. So far, it has been limited to the Sunshine State, but commercial watermelon growers fear that it could spread to other states.
Research efforts led by plant pathologist Scott Adkins at the ARS Subtropical Plant Pathology Research ...