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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #426738
Research Project: Advancing Knowledge of the Biology and Etiology of Bacterial Plant Pathogens Towards Management Strategies

Location: Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research

Title: A new bacterial disease of cucurbits in NY: Cucurbit Yellow Vine Disease Caused by Serratia ureilytica

Author
item RODRIGUEZ-HERRERA, KENSY - Cornell University
item PETHYBRIDGE, SARAH - Cornell University
item REINERS, STEVE - Cornell University
item NAULT, BRIAN - Cornell University
item Swingle, Bryan
item SMART, CHRISTIN - Cornell University

Submitted to: Online Publication
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/4/2025
Publication Date: 6/5/2025
Citation: Rodriguez-Herrera, K.D., Pethybridge, S.J., Reiners, S., Nault, B., Swingle, B.M., Smart, C.D. 2025. A new bacterial disease of cucurbits in NY: Cucurbit Yellow Vine Disease Caused by Serratia ureilytica. Online Publication. https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/cucurbit-yellow-vine-disease/.

Interpretive Summary: Cucurbit Yellow Vine Disease (CYVD) is a newly identified disease that most commonly affects melon, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, and watermelon. CYVD is caused by the bacterium Serratia ureilytica, which is transmitted squash bugs (Anasa tristis) when they feed on plants. Here we have developed a fact sheet that explains the cause of the disease, how it is transmitted and management strategies that can be used to help reduce the spread of CYVD. This fact sheet is intended to provide a resource for farmers, growers, and other people interested in plant diseases like CYVD.

Technical Abstract: Cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD), caused by Serratia ureilytica and transmitted primarily by squash bugs (Anasa tristis), affects cucurbit crops like melon, squash, pumpkin, and watermelon, and was first detected in New York three years ago. Symptoms include plant decline, interveinal leaf yellowing, vine yellowing, wilting, stunting, and plant collapse, with honey-brown discoloration observed in vascular tissue, resembling but distinguishable from bacterial wilt. The bacterium overwinters in squash bugs, which can acquire and spread it through feeding, acting as primary inoculum each season. Squash bugs, emerging from hibernation in June, lay egg masses that develop into nymphs and later adults in 4–6 weeks, with NY’s climate typically allowing one generation yearly. Management emphasizes early control of squash bug nymphs via insecticides, cultural practices like crop debris removal, and trap cropping with Hubbard squash to reduce vector populations and subsequent disease spread.