Abstract
Verticillium wilt, caused by the soilborne fungus Verticillium dahliae , is a significant disease affecting watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) production in Washington State. This field study at three locations in Washington in 2015 compared verticillium wilt susceptibility, fruit yield and quality of nongrafted watermelon, and grafted plants grown with black plastic and clear plastic mulch. Overall for grafting treatments, area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) values were higher for nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ (765) than for ‘TriX Palomar’ grafted onto ‘Super Shintosa’ (132), ‘Tetsukabuto’ (178), or ‘Just’ (187). Overall for mulch, the AUDPC value was higher for plants grown with black plastic mulch (385) than for plants grown with clear plastic mulch (237). Overall for location, the AUDPC value was lowest at Eltopia (84), intermediate at Othello (182), and highest at Mount Vernon (680). At season end, more Verticillium microsclerotia were present in stems of nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ than in grafted treatment stems at Eltopia and Mount Vernon, but not at Othello. Differences in microsclerotia presence occurred only in the top or scion portion of the stem, but not in the graft union, rootstock, or crown portions of the stem. There was no difference due to mulch in regard to Verticillium microsclerotia detected in stem assays. After harvest, V. dahliae soil density under black plastic mulch increased 6-fold at Eltopia, 4.7-fold at Othello, and 1.9-fold at Mount Vernon. In contrast, V. dahiae soil density under clear plastic mulch was nearly identical to the level at planting at each location (<1, 2.6, and 27 cfu/g at Eltopia, Othello, and Mount Vernon, respectively). There was a significant interaction between grafting and location for fruit yield such that there was no difference at Eltopia and Othello, but at Mount Vernon, yield of nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ was lower (7.4 kg/plant) than for grafted plants (average 13.0 kg/plant). The number and weight of marketable fruit per plant were higher at Othello (4.0 and 27.65 kg/plant, respectively) than at Eltopia (2.0 and 12.23 kg/plant, respectively) and Mount Vernon (2.2 and 11.63 kg/plant, respectively). Fruit firmness was greater overall for all three grafted treatments (average 2.67 N) than for nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ (2.20 N), but there was no difference in total soluble solids (TSS) or lycopene content of fruit due to grafting. Yield, fruit firmness, and TSS did not differ due to mulch type; however, lycopene content was greater for plants grown with black plastic mulch than with clear plastic mulch at Eltopia. There was no difference in TSS due to location, but fruit firmness was lower at Eltopia and Othello (2.20 and 2.44 N, respectively) than at Mount Vernon (3.00 N), whereas lycopene content was less at Mount Vernon (27.85 μg·g −1 ) than at Eltopia or Othello (38.58 and 36.54 μg·g −1 ). The results of this study indicate that although verticillium wilt symptoms were visible in watermelon plants when V. dahliae level was <3 cfu/g of soil, watermelon yield was not reduced. However, when V. dahliae soil density was >50 cfu/g of soil, yield was greater for grafted plants and for plants grown with clear plastic mulch.
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Claims 17
Claim · model-written summary
Black mulch had higher AUDPC than clear mulch.
- Taxon
- watermelon
Citrullus lanatuse0 - Treatment
- black plastic mulche1
- Outcome
- AUDPC valuee1
- Direction
- highere1
- Value
- 385e1
- Comparator
- clear plastic mulche1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“AUDPC value was higher for plants grown with black plastic mulch (385) than for plants grown with clear plastic mulch (237)”
Claim · model-written summary
AUDPC was lowest at Eltopia.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“AUDPC value was lowest at Eltopia (84), intermediate at Othello (182), and highest at Mount Vernon (680)”
Claim · model-written summary
AUDPC was intermediate at Othello.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- AUDPC valuee1
- Direction
- intermediatee1
- Value
- 182e1
- Setting
- Othelloe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“AUDPC value was lowest at Eltopia (84), intermediate at Othello (182), and highest at Mount Vernon (680)”
Claim · model-written summary
AUDPC was highest at Mount Vernon.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- AUDPC valuee1
- Direction
- higheste1
- Value
- 680e1
- Setting
- Mount Vernone1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“AUDPC value was lowest at Eltopia (84), intermediate at Othello (182), and highest at Mount Vernon (680)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nongrafted stems had more microsclerotia at Eltopia and Mount Vernon, limited to scions.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- grafted treatmente1
- Interactor
- VerticilliumVerticilliume1pathogen
- Outcome
- Verticillium microsclerotiae1
- Direction
- moree1
- Qualifier
- top or scion portion of the steme2
- Comparator
- nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’e1
- Setting
- Eltopia and Mount Vernone1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“more Verticillium microsclerotia were present in stems of nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ than in grafted treatment stems at Eltopia and Mount Vernon, but not at Othello”
e2“Differences in microsclerotia presence occurred only in the top or scion portion of the stem”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting did not change microsclerotia presence at Othello.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- grafted treatmente1
- Outcome
- Verticillium microsclerotiae1
- Comparator
- nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’e1
- Setting
- Othelloe1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“more Verticillium microsclerotia were present in stems of nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ than in grafted treatment stems at Eltopia and Mount Vernon, but not at Othello”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch type did not affect stem microsclerotia detection.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- mulche1
- Outcome
- Verticillium microsclerotia detected in stem assayse1
- Direction
- no differencee1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“There was no difference due to mulch in regard to Verticillium microsclerotia detected in stem assays”
Claim · model-written summary
Black mulch increased soil V. dahliae density 6-fold at Eltopia.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- black plastic mulche1
- Interactor
- V. dahliae
Verticillium dahliaee1pathogen - Outcome
- V. dahliae soil densitye1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 6-folde1
- Setting
- Eltopiae1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“V. dahliae soil density under black plastic mulch increased 6-fold at Eltopia”
Claim · model-written summary
Black mulch increased soil V. dahliae density 4.7-fold at Othello.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- black plastic mulche1
- Outcome
- V. dahliae soil densitye1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 4.7-folde1
- Setting
- Othelloe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“V. dahliae soil density under black plastic mulch increased 6-fold at Eltopia, 4.7-fold at Othello”
Claim · model-written summary
Black mulch increased soil V. dahliae density 1.9-fold at Mount Vernon.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- black plastic mulche1
- Outcome
- V. dahliae soil densitye1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 1.9-folde1
- Setting
- Mount Vernone1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“V. dahliae soil density under black plastic mulch increased 6-fold at Eltopia, 4.7-fold at Othello, and 1.9-fold at Mount Vernon”
Claim · model-written summary
Clear mulch maintained soil pathogen density near its initial level at all sites.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- clear plastic mulche1
- Outcome
- V. dahiae soil densitye1
- Direction
- nearly identicale1
- Comparator
- level at plantinge1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“V. dahiae soil density under clear plastic mulch was nearly identical to the level at planting at each location (<1, 2.6, and 27 cfu/g at Eltopia, Othello, and Mount Vernon, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting increased yield at Mount Vernon from 7.4 to an average 13.0 kg per plant.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- grafted plantse1
- Outcome
- yielde1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Value
- 13.0 kg/plante1
- Comparator
- nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’e1
- Setting
- Mount Vernone1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“at Mount Vernon, yield of nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ was lower (7.4 kg/plant) than for grafted plants (average 13.0 kg/plant)”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting had no yield effect at Eltopia and Othello.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- graftinge2
- Outcome
- fruit yielde2
- Direction
- no differencee1
- Setting
- Eltopia and Othelloe1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“there was no difference at Eltopia and Othello”
e2“significant interaction between grafting and location for fruit yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Othello had the most and heaviest marketable fruit per plant.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- number and weight of marketable fruit per plante1
- Direction
- highere1
- Setting
- Othelloe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“The number and weight of marketable fruit per plant were higher at Othello (4.0 and 27.65 kg/plant, respectively) than at Eltopia (2.0 and 12.23 kg/plant, respectively) and Mount Vernon (2.2 and 11.63 kg/plant, respectively)”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting increased fruit firmness but did not change TSS or lycopene.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- grafted treatmentse1
- Outcome
- Fruit firmnesse1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Value
- 2.67 Ne1
- Comparator
- nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“Fruit firmness was greater overall for all three grafted treatments (average 2.67 N) than for nongrafted ‘TriX Palomar’ (2.20 N), but there was no difference in total soluble solids (TSS) or lycopene content of fruit due to grafting”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch type did not change yield, firmness or TSS but black mulch raised lycopene at Eltopia.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- black plastic mulche1
- Outcome
- lycopene contente1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Comparator
- clear plastic mulche1
- Setting
- Eltopiae1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
e1“Yield, fruit firmness, and TSS did not differ due to mulch type; however, lycopene content was greater for plants grown with black plastic mulch than with clear plastic mulch at Eltopia”
Claim · model-written summary
At high V. dahliae density, grafting and clear mulch gave greater yields.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- yielde1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Qualifier
- >50 cfu/g of soile1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelon yield”
e1“when V. dahliae soil density was >50 cfu/g of soil, yield was greater for grafted plants and for plants grown with clear plastic mulch”
The same questions in other papers
grafting · yield · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results differ
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See all 6 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.