By Clint Thompson
An extended dry period this year led to little disease buildup in North Florida watermelons this production season. One disease has been noticeably absent this year, and that’s downy mildew.
“The past few years, we have had downy mildew a lot earlier than this. So, we’re pleasantly surprised that we have not had any reports of it yet,” said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “But I think the part that does make sense is that it was so dry and with relatively low humidity that we just did not have conditions that were conducive for downy to move.
“So, you know, I think given the weather circumstances that we’ve had this growing season, it is not surprising that downy would not be here like it has been in the previous years.”
But growers can never say never with the potential for downy mildew disease to develop in the Suwanee Valley Region of North Florida; a watermelon area that has had its share of the disease in recent years.
“I would never bet against downy because it’s so aggressive, so that if we get it moving in here, then it can become a problem in very short order. If we look at where we are and figure that, okay, we’ll be picking watermelons until sometime, maybe the middle of June, there’s still time for it to appear and create some problems,” Hochmuth said.
“However, I would also suggest that we’re ahead of the game, and that unless something does emerge here pretty quickly, then we’ll be happy to report that downy had not played as big a role. But I think it’s too early to say for sure.”