Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum (FON), leads to significant losses for U.S. watermelon growers, with resistance available in some cultivars but not in most seedless varieties, and no resistance to FON race 3. While crop rotation and grafted transplants offer some control, these methods are not economically viable for most growers, prompting research into the effectiveness of fungicides or plant defense activators as soil drenches to suppress Fusarium wilt.
