Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) is a disease of watermelon and other cucurbit crops caused by bacterium Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. The disease can be seed borne and is first noticed as small water-soaked lesions on seedlings. Inoculum can also originate on volunteer and wild cucurbits near fields and transplant operations. Bacterial fruit blotch can cause crop losses if allowed to progress in fields. Prevention is possible via several methods.
The best prevention against bacterial fruit blotch is to grow cucurbits in areas of the world that are not susceptible to the disease due to unfavorable environmental conditions. If this is not possible, having seed tested via a grow out, sweat box, or polymerase chain reaction method to ensure that it is clean before planting is a good idea. Several companies test seed with these methods, such as STA, Seminis, and Syngenta.
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—J.M. (John Millington)