Evaluation of precocious yellow gene squash cultivars for tolerance to watermelon mosaic virus

Yellow squash ( Cucurbita pepo L.) planted after early spring in Mississippi have a strong likelihood of developing green streaks and blotches on the fruit-symptoms of watermelon mosaic virus strain 2. Cultivars with the relatively new precocious yellow gene (PYG) tend to show such symptoms less prominently, and in some cases not at all, when infected. Field trials were conducted at two locations to evaluate several PYG cultivars and compare their WMV-2 symptoms to those of standard, non-PYG types. In both cases, the PYG cultivars had fewer unmarketable fruit due to WMV-2 symptoms, although they were not entirely immune to the virus.