Gummy stem blight is one of the serious foliar diseases in watermelon crops. In this disease, brown spots appear on the stems and leaves and these spots are surrounded by yellow tissues. After that, this lesion on the stem enlarges and forms a rotting which secretes a sticky, brown liquid. Fruit is rarely affected by this disease, but a loss of foliage can also affect yield and fruit quality.
Control: To avoid gummy stem blight, use disease-free seeds, as well as crop rotation of 2 years in all cucurbits crops. Also, on the appearance of disease symptoms, for chemical control, spray contact fungicide like Jatayu (Chlorothalonil 75% WP) @ 200 gm/acre or M45 (Mancozeb 75% WP) @ 600-800 gm/acre @ 150 to 200 litres of water.
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