Screening of melon genotypes for resistance to vegetable leafminer and your phenotypic correlations with colorimetry

Abstract

Melon is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. With short cycle in a system of phased planting, phytosanitary control is compromised, and a great volume of agricultural chemicals is used to control vegetable leafminer. Genetic control is an ideal alternative to avoid the damage caused by this insect. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate Cucumis accessions in regard to resistance to leafminer and correlate the variables analyzed. Fifty-four accessions and four commercial hybrids of melon were tested. The study was divided into two experiments: with and with no choice. The following characteristics were evaluated: with choice, in field - subjective score based on the infestation and the number of mines per leaf; and with no choice, in cage - number of mines per leaf, chlorophyll content, and leaf colorimetry. The results showed variability among the accessions and some genotypes showed favorable results for resistance in both experiments. There was correlation between the two variables in the experiment in the field. The accessions CNPH 11-282, CNPH 06-1047, and CNPH 11-1077 are the most recommended for future breeding programs with aim on introgression of resistance to vegetable leafminer in melon.

A915.34.01.08 - melon line resistant to leafminer (Liriomyza sativae)

“…began in the past decade. As of the end of the 1990s, the leafminer was no longer considered a secondary pest and reached the position of the main pest of the crop (Guimarães et al 2009), and it stood out as the main plant health problem of melon in the Brazilian Northeast region (Oliveira et al 2017).…”