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ipswich, ma usa

I woke up Sunday morning early and headed cross town to my pumpkin patch. You see Sunday was NASCAR race day up in NH and every year myself and my Dad make the trip up to NH to see the race. So all pumpkin duties needed to be done extra early. It takes a good 3 hours to get to the race track so no time to screw around. When I got to the patch there was three secondaries on the back of one of my three plants that had upwardly cupped leaves. I really did not think much about it but decided to keep an eye on it. Couldn't be a boorer leaves would be dropping....I figured if all else failed I would just cut off those secondaries when I returned from the race that night.... Well, I got home last night from the track around 9 P.M. and headed straight over tho the patch, and to my horror found 80% of the plant had the same symptoms. And the three that were cupped upwards in the morning were totally wilted and dead on the ground. It also looked like whatever this is, was working it's way across the plant and onto the other side of the patch. I decided to rip out the entire infected plant and cut off any leaves and or secondaries that seemed infected from my remaining two plants. My question to the board is what do folks think this infestation was? Some sort of bacterial wilt? It does not seem to be from insects because it worked it's way across the patch like a small wave. The leaves all seem to close upwards like a hand pulling in it's fingers then slowly start falling over. I'm at a loss as what to do to keep this from spreading. Hopefully cutting and or pulling all infected vines/leafs will halt the progression. Please throw some advice on what it may be my way and hopefully I will still be at Topsfield weighing a semi big one this fall!! I will still be there either way but it will be much more fun with something in the back of my truck!

Thanks

John (5150)

7/21/2003 9:31:19 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

John: did the leaves cup upward???? if so that's one of the first symptoms of squash mosaic virus.

Glenn

7/21/2003 11:19:13 AM

Gloucester, MA

Did you lose any fruit?
Sorry for the misfortune. Best of luck with the others.

7/21/2003 1:23:26 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Yes the leaves cupped upwards. If I ripped out the plants thinks it's to late for the others?

John (5150)

7/21/2003 2:03:36 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/926.pdf

7/21/2003 2:20:18 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Glenn

I don't think it's mosaic. There is nothing at all physically wrong looking with the leaves. They just cupped upwards, folded in on themselves and fell over. No yellow, no crinkling of edged nothing!

John (5150)

7/21/2003 2:26:11 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Professor,

I Did not lose any fruit that was gonna make it anyways. I just hope by ripping out the diseased plant my others were not infected by whatever this thing was. Have three going on those two plants. One of them is the "chosen" one!! LOL

John (5150)

7/21/2003 2:29:14 PM

wilmington,ma.

John sorry to hear about your plant .Wish I had the answer
but I'm dub as a rock when it comes to problums,And spelling.
Ahab

7/21/2003 5:58:48 PM

South Hill, Virginia

That really sucks John. You got a picture you could post?

7/21/2003 6:03:26 PM

Usa

That is really terrible. I hope you can find out what it is so it doesn't ever happen again.
I hope the rest of your plant lives and gives you a BIG'un.

7/22/2003 2:24:37 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Sorry to hear that John..You mean it flopped completely in one day like it was hit with frost...Maybe it was one of those thermal inversion tremor always talks about that some herbicide was applied elsewhere? Hope it stops there. ood Luck! Chuck

7/22/2003 8:16:43 AM

ipswich, ma usa

I don't have any pictures Brent. I wasted no time getting the plant torn out so as to not spread whatever the hell it has to my remaining two plants. Chuck it was like it got shot and just fell over. The plant was totally limp. The secondaries that I prune off and throw into my compost pile do not break down as quick as this plant did. Hey gotta love this "sport"!! The front of my remaining plant looks a little sparse with all the leaves I ripped off but I do have two pumpkins set on it. One at day 9 and one at day 7. Booth around 18 inches.

John (5150)

7/22/2003 8:50:11 AM