Quantitative response of Cucumis melo inoculated with root rot pathogens

This experiment quantified the effects of three root rot pathogens on muskmelon (Cucumis melo L., var. cantalupensis) growth traits using computerized image analysis. Plants were grown from seed in sand infested with the soilborne pathogen Monosporascus cannonballus, Acremonium cucurbitacearum, or Rhizopycnis vagum. After 28 days in the growth chamber, images of plants were analyzed to quantify their response. Compared to noninoculated muskmelons, inoculated plants had significantly increased mean root diameter (45%), decreased root length (26%, primarily in roots of