CSIRO PUBLISHING - Australasian Plant Disease Notes

First report of the occurrence of Myrothecium verrucaria in watermelon seeds from India

B. G. Bharath ^A, S. Lokesh ^A ^B, V. B. Raghavendra ^A, H. S. Prakash ^A and H. S. Shetty ^A

^A Department of Studies in Applied Botany, Seed Pathology and Biotechnology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore-570 006, Karnataka, India.
^B Corresponding author. Email: boramma@rediffmail.com

Abstract

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is known to be affected by a variety of both seed-borne and soil-borne fungi. In routine screening of watermelon seed samples, sporodochia of Myrothecium verrucaria were observed. The fungus was isolated and the spore suspension was inoculated onto healthy seedlings of watermelon. The resulting symptoms confirmed Koch’s postulates.

Australasian Plant Disease Notes 1(1) 3–4 doi:10.1071/DN06002
Accepted: 22 February 2006 Published: 24 August 2006