Potential Sources of Resistance to Fusarium Wilt and Powdery Mildew in Melons

In total, 139 Cucumis melo accessions were evaluated for resistance to races 0, 1, and 2 of Fusarium oxysporum fsp. melonis and 127 accessions were evaluated for resistance to races 1 and 2 of Sphaerotheca fuliginea. In addition, seven C. melo wild relatives were also tested. Artificial inoculations were performed and plants were scored for presence or absence of symptoms. The screening revealed that sources of natural resistance to these fungi are limited. However, several sources of resistance were found in C. melo accessions. Thus, the accession `CUM-334' from Tajikistan has shown resistance to the three races of F. oxysporum fsp. melonis , behaving similarly to the melon inbred line `MR1'. Two accessions of C. melo var. conomon , `CUM-190' and `Shiroubi Okayama', from Japan, were resistant to races 0 and 1 and twelve accessions were resistant to races 0 and 2. Intra-specific variability for resistance to powdery mildew in C. melo was found to be poor. Nevertheless, six Spanish cultivars and the accessions `TGR-1551', `CUM-313', and `CUM-129' were resistant to races 1 and 2 of S. fuliginea.