Technical Abstract: Watermelon vine decline caused by Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) is an emerging disease that has caused severe losses to Florida watermelon growers in recent years. Papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W) is one of several watermelon-infecting potyviruses long present in the southeastern U.S. Long term effective management of virus diseases of watermelon is currently limited by a lack of resistance to several viruses including SqVYV and PRSV-W. Previous research has identified Citrullus and Lagenaria germplasm that show resistance to these viruses and is being investigated in ongoing experiments. Efforts to introduce this resistance to commercial watermelon cultivars through conventional plant breeding techniques are expected to take time and may be difficult due to the genetic distance from commercial watermelon types. Therefore, short term alternative methods for deploying this virus resistance in watermelon are desirable. Grafting is one such method, and we evaluated resistant germplasm as rootstocks for commercially available triploid (seedless) watermelon scions. This strategy has been used to control other diseases of watermelon (particularly soil-borne diseases) and has also been reported as effective for several viruses.