Anthracnose is a major watermelon disease in the U.S., causing lesions on leaves, stems, and fruit, leading to reduced yields. While crop rotation and fungicides can help, fungicide use is costly and may not fully control the disease. Seedless watermelon hybrids lack resistance, and race 2 of anthracnose is the most harmful. However, diploid varieties used for pollination show varying levels of resistance, with some being nearly resistant based on trials.
