Postharvest development and transmission of watermelon fruit blotch

Abstract

Watermelon fruit blotch (WFB) symptoms did not appear on healthy watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai] fruit placed in contact with the diseased surface of other fruit and stored at either 52 or 68 °F (11 or 20 °C) for 1 week. After 3 weeks in storage, some WFB transmission was observed and the frequency of transmission was greater at 68 than 52 °F. Surface abrasion of either the healthy fruit, diseased fruit, or both fruit did not promote transmission of WFB compared with unabraded controls. Some healthy fruit harvested from a field with diseased fruit developed very minor symptoms of WFB in postharvest storage, but the symptoms were not severe enough to cause market problems. Harvesting appeared to halt the spread of WFB symptoms on individual fruit with less than ≃10% of the fruit surface affected at harvest. If care is taken during harvest and grading to exclude diseased fruit, and if proper precooling and subsequent temperature management is implemented for marketable fruit, WFB does not appear to be of concern for the marketing of watermelons.