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Garden Word of the Day
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Nobody wants scabby cucumbers, squashes, or melons, but sometimes it happens. Cucurbit scab goes by several other names, some of them quite colorful: cucumber gummosis, cucumber leaf blight, cucumber spotting, cucurbit fruit blight, gray anthracnose of cucurbits (even though it’s not a type of anthracnose), and, my favorite, cucurbit pox. I can hear it now, as Renaissance Faire washerwomen throw insults and dirty undergarments at the crowd: “A pox upon thy cukes!” Of course, I would never wish a pox upon anything in your garden, so let’s see what we’re up against with this one. The what and when of cucurbit pox This disease affects nearly all members of the cucurbit family. This means cantaloupe, gourds, honeydew, summer and winter squash, and pumpkins are all susceptible. For some reason, watermelon is rarely affected. I don’t know why. Cucurbit scab is a fungal disease of the squash family caused by Cladosporium cucumerinum. This disease thrives in areas with cool, moist weather and becomes a serious problem when temperatures are between 57°F and 77°F. Moisture can be from heavy dew, frequent fog, or light rain. Cucurbit scab symptoms Cucurbit scab is found around the world. Symptoms can vary quite a bit, depending on where it occurs. Generally speaking, this disease presents as dark, olive-colored, velvety lesions on the surface of cucurbit fruits. Those lesions may also be brown or black. They are usually sunken and one-eighth of an inch in diameter. These lesions occur because of the pathogen’s ability to break down pectin and cellulose. A gummy substance may ooze from these lesions. As they mature, these spots get darker and sink into the fruit, creating holes loved by fruit flies and other pests. These pits can merge into rotted areas up to two inches across. In more resistant varieties, these lesions evolve into hard, warty structures. Infected leaves have pale green, water-soaked areas that fade to gray. These areas may have a yellow halo. From a distance, it may look like powdery mildew. Closer inspection shows that these areas are distinctly triangular, hence the anthracnose assumption. These dead areas dry and fall out, leaving plants looking quite ragged. Cucurbit scab can also shorten the internodes, making plants look stunted. Cucurbit scab management
Prevention is your first line of defense with any disease. Buying certified disease-free seeds, seedlings, and mature plants can help keep spores out of your landscape. Spores are spread by insects, tools, clothing, splashing rain, and the wind, so you’ll still have to be on the lookout. You can prevent cucurbit scab from occurring with some simple cultural practices:
I hope this information helps you keep your cucurbits healthy and productive.
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