Reaction of families and lines of melon to powdery mildew

Abstract

Powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera xanthii, is an important disease of melon in the Brazilian Northeast. The objective of this work was to evaluate the reaction of families, lines and cultivars of melon to P. xanthii. Two experiments in simple lattice were carried out under field conditions in the municipalities of Mossoró and Baraúna to evaluate 144 families. In a greenhouse, an experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design to evaluate 19 lines and the cultivars Yellow Queen, Chilton and Hy Mark. Disease was assessed by a severity scale. There was genetic variability among families. The families 4, 5, 11, 14, 18, 23, 33, 42, 101, 112 and 140 were identified in both sites as resistant. The lines LOF-027, LOF-105, LPS-124, MEL-008 and cultivar Chilton showed resistance to race 1 of the fungus.