Resistance to carmine spider mite in watermelon

Abstract

Resistance of 37Citrullus lanatus L. lines to the carmine spider mite,Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval), was evaluated in three laboratory experiments, each including seven plants per line. Infestation with ten adult female mites per leaf, of each plant, was done at the three-leaf stage. In experiment A, average counts 10 days after infestation of three leaves ranged from 42 to 144 mites per leaf. In experiment B, average counts 8 days after infestation of two leaves ranged from 40 to 286 mites per leaf. In experiment C, average counts 8 days after infestation of two leaves ranged from 15 to 196 mites per leaf. The results suggest that a definite variation in resistance against mite infestation exists among watermelon lines.