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Title: PI 525088-pmr, a melon race 1 powdery mildew-resistant watermelon line

Author
item Davis, Angela
item Levi, Amnon
item WEHNER, TODD - NCSU, RALEIGH, NC
item PITRAT, MICHAEL - INRA, MONTFAVET, FR

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/6/2006
Publication Date: 12/1/2006
Citation: Davis, A.R., Levi, A., Wehner, T.C., Pitrat, M. 2006. PI 525088-pmr, a melon race 1 powdery mildew-resistant watermelon line. HortScience. 47(7):1527-15-28.

Interpretive Summary: Powdery mildew has been reported on watermelon in the United States for the past six years. During this time, it has occurred in the main watermelon production areas in the U.S. and has been documented in nine states (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Maryland, New York, Arizona, and California). This is of great concern to the watermelon industry since powdery mildew is difficult to control and can have a drastic impact on yield and fruit quality due. We screened watermelon lines for resistance and by selecting for the most resistant plants for several generations have developed a watermelon line that is resistant to race 1 powdery mildew. This line is now available in limited quantities. Although the fruit is not of good commercial quality, this line can be used to incorporate resistance into commercially acceptable watermelon breeding lines.

Technical Abstract: Powdery mildew has been reported on watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) in the United States for the past six years. During this time, it has occurred in the main watermelon production areas in the U.S. and has been documented in nine states (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Maryland, New York, Arizona, and California). This is of great concern to the watermelon industry since powdery mildew is difficult to control and can have a drastic impact on yield and fruit quality due to loss of photosynthetic area and sunscald. We report on the phenotypic characteristics of a watermelon line useful for introducing race 1 powdery mildew Podosphaera xanthii (syn. Sphaerotheca fuliginea auct. p.p.) resistance into commercial breeding lines. This line is derived from U.S. Plant Introduction (PI) 525088 (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides).