Protection methods

• During cultivation

It is often difficult to control effectively R. stolonifer during cultivation. We can, however, recommend the implementation of the following measures:
- manage the best irrigation so that they are fair and never excessive;
- avoid sprinkling irrigations, otherwise perform them at the beginning or during the day to allow the plants to dry up quickly;
- if symptoms appear under shelter, it is imperative to reduce the ambient humidity by ventilating them as much as possible;
- eliminate during and at the end of cultivation the fruits more or less rotten ;
- avoid to hurt the fruit and harvest at advanced maturity.

Specific treatments fungicide are rarely necessary. Very often, they are ineffective because flowers are constantly formed and the fruits more or less buried in the vegetation are only partially protected.

• Next crop

The efficiency of crop rotations is quite disappointing ; this situation is certainly due to polyphagia and the saprophytic potential of this fungus

The soil of the future plots of Cucurbitaceae will be well worked and drained in order to avoid the formation of puddles. In the open field, the rows of planting will be oriented in the direction of the prevailing winds so that the plant cover is well ventilated. The plants can be placed on boards. The use of plastic mulch will partially isolate the vegetation from the ground and therefore help reduce contamination.

The other diseases and pests must be controlled because they are the cause of wounds and tissue necrosis conducive to the establishment of R. stolonifer . Infected flowers and fruits should be removed and disposed of.

To our knowledge, no resistance to this fungus has been reported in cultivated Cucurbits.

Finally, note that this fungus is sensitive to the mycoparasite Piptocephalis virginiana .

* Chemical control: As the number of pesticides available for a given use is constantly changing, we advise you to always confirm your choice by consulting the e-phy site of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries which is an online catalog of products phytopharmaceuticals and their uses, fertilizers and growing media approved in France. This also applies to all biological products based on microorganisms or natural substances.