By Clint Thompson
Georgia’s watermelon producers have begun harvesting this year’s crop.
Ty Torrance, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable agent for Colquitt, Tift and Worth counties, said while not all growers have started the harvesting process, it should pick up in the next week or so.
Torrance discussed what his producers are seeing with this year’s crop.
“I think the vines look pretty good right now. We had some interesting weather. It was really dry early, and then we got a bunch of rainfall. But overall, I think the vines look good,” Torrance said. “We’re starting to get more disease now, like gummy stem blight and anthracnose. But we’re beginning harvest, and of course, that’s always going to make disease spread throughout the field as you move through it. So, I’m hoping for some favorable weather through harvest.”
Favorable weather through harvest season means sunshine and lots of it. That will help producers dodge disease buildup which can happen with increased moisture and watermelon production.
“We’d like to control our water the best to our ability without rainfall, especially through harvest. It just seems to spread disease a lot faster,” Torrance said. Watermelon is one of those crops that has its fair share of diseases that growers have to deal with.
“Yep, phytophthora for us, gummy stem blight and anthracnose. We have not seen downy mildew yet. We still have not seen that in watermelon. But all those diseases can really take off if we start running into wet weather.”