Melons are always attacked by fungal diseases such as powdery and downy mildew.
At least spray once a week in the dry season and twice during the wet season to control the diseases.
Pests
Aphids and melon fruit flies are the major pests of watermelon.
Aphids suck sap from the leaves leading to curling of the leaves which eventually dry and lead to the death of the plant. Durban always works effectively to kill the aphids.
Melon fruit flies mainly manifest at the time of flowering. The adult lays eggs in the flowers which develop eventually into a larva (maggot) at the time when the fruit has been formed.
The larva eats up the cells of the fruit and bores into the fruit. This results in fruit abortions, rotting and bursting of fruits when they are not yet ready.
Insecticides that control the fruit flies at this stage also kill the bees which we need for pollination.
The best remedy for melon fruit flies is to use fruit fly traps which attract the pests and kill them without affecting the pollination activity.
