Growers in southeastern Spain are nervously awaiting the start of the new melon season to see whether plantings have been affected by the Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus (ToLCNDV). The virus has already caused widespread damage in courgettes and it is feared it could spread to other crops.
Noelia Medialdea of Hortofrutícola Costa de Almería told Fruitnet that with harvesting yet to begin it was too early to assess the impact of the virus. “With both products belonging to the cucurbitaceae family, the likelihood is that melons will be affected, but we don’t know to what degree,” she said.
Andalusian interprofessional Hortyfruta said it was monitoring the situation closely. It warned growers to be vigilant and advised them to step up controls by ensuring greenhouses are sealed an impenetrable to white fly, which carries the virus.
In Murcia, where open-air production of watermelons is already underway, no cases of ToLCNDV are believed to have been reported so far.
Meanwhile, Cantaloupe and Charentais producers in Morocco are reported to have launched a marketing offensive in France to exploit potential shortages in Almeria and Murcia resulting from the virus when demand for melons is highest.
