D3119: (1st Place) Evaluating the field efficacy of plant defense elicitors for the management of insect-transmitted melon viruses

California is the top producer of cantaloupe in the US, however, numerous plant viruses transmitted by the sweetpotato whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and melon aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) have caused major economic impacts on production. Recent research has shown that the application of synthetic elicitors at an early stage promotes plant defenses and significantly improves tolerance to these viruses, but they are short-lived. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of elicitor applications combined with multiple insecticide regimes for prolonging and improving this induced resistance in virus-infected melons under field conditions. At two locations in California with different virus types, two elicitors, Actigard® (AI: acibenzolar-S-methyl) and Regalia® (AI: Reynoutria sachalinensis extract), were paired with a high, medium, or low insecticide regime. Evaluations measured the plant health, virus progression, yield count, and fruit sugar content. Results showed that at one location, Actigard® limited virus progression at an early stage while ultimately providing higher fruit sugar content. Our field trials suggest the use of certain elicitors could be viable for suppression against specific virus types or locations, and has opened opportunities for management options in cantaloupe.