By Clint Thompson
Watermelon harvests are well underway across the Suwanee Valley region of North Florida.
Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, likes the quality and quantity of this year’s crop, even with some acres impacted by fusarium wilt disease.
“I think we’ve got an excellent crop here. Fusarium wilt has taken its toll, so even if we have 10,000 acres of watermelons in this region, fusarium is the single thing that has taken the greatest toll,” Hochmuth said.
“There will be a few, if not several hundred acres, that will, maybe, only harvested one time. That’ll take a dent in it, but in terms of quality and yields, it looks like we’ll have excellent quality if we can manage the sunburn. I think the yields are also going to be good.”
Fusarium wilt symptoms can appear at any growth stage. If they appear at the seedling stage, the plants will not even make it to vines. Plants infected with the fusarium wilt pathogen will eventually die if the infection is severe. The plant can produce fruit if the infection is weak, but when it begins using the energy necessary to produce fruit, the plant will likely decline and slowly die.