Gene from Bottlegourd May Help Control Watermelon Virus
October 5, 2007| |
Aside from its uses as food, bowls, bottles, and musical instruments, the bottlegourd may soon provide the gene for resistance to the zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), a pest that infects cucurbits: melons, cucumbers, luffas, squash and pumpkins. ZMYV, as other viruses, is usually transmitted by insects, and is responsible for significantly reducing watermelon yield in North America.
Agricultural Research Scientists Kai-Shu Ling and Amnon Levi screened over 200 bottlegourd accessions from different parts of the world. They found 36 ZYMV resistant cultivars, 33 of which are from India. They also found that ZYMV resistance can be transferred to different bottlegourd accessions, enabling the development of varieties with enhanced virus resistance. Resistance of popular watermelon cultivars to ZMYV can be bolstered by grafting the plants into bottlegourd rootstocks. Watermelon is a profitable fruit industry in the US worth $ 435 million in 2006.
Read more at http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261
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