GWA Dedicates $20,000 to Research in the 2018 Season
The Georgia Watermelon Association board of directors recently approved a budget expenditure of more than $20,000 for select research projects throughout the southeast. The projects all have varied focuses on important issues to the watermelon industry, including management, control and prevention of fusarium wilt, and development of new tools to help growers more quickly diagnose various diseases in the field.
The majority of these projects will be reported on at the 2019 GWA Annual Convention.
PROJECT 1:
Development of an integrated pest management plan involving fumigants, resistant cultivars, grafted seedlings, and fungicides for the control of Fusarium wilt of watermelon in Georgia
PROJECT 2:
Management of Fusarium Wilt of Watermelon Seedlings in Transplant Trays
PROJECT 3:
Continued assessment of planting date on Fusarium wilt incidence and impacts on harvest timing for two watermelon cultivars in North Florida
PROJECT 4:
Improving watermelon production in Florida by developing a field based recombinase polymerase amplification assay for critical viruses and field management of white flies using Kaolin Clay (This project is in collaboration with the Florida Watermelon Association)