A rootstock to combat Gummy Stem Blight in the watermelon crop

Scientists from the Department of Vegetable Science, Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) have developed a new hybrid rootstock called Arka Shakti, which may come as a boon to watermelon farmers across India. This rootstock is resistant to Gummy Stem Blight (GSB), a fungal disease most common in watermelon.

Earlier, IIHR developed two new varieties of watermelon – Arka Manik and Arka Shyama – through its Watermelon Breeding Programme. Now scientists have introduced Arka Shakti hybrid rootstock which can be used to grow existing watermelon varieties without any fungal diseases.

Sreenivasa Rao, Principal Scientist, Department of Vegetable Science, IIHR, said, “According to data from the Karnataka Horticulture Department, the area under watermelon cultivation was 12,000 hectares in 2014 and it will decrease to 1,300 hectares in 2024. watermelon The reason for the drastic decline in the cultivation area is the susceptibility of watermelon to GSB disease.

Professor Rao added: “Farmers only come to know about the melon disease during harvest because it does not show up earlier. GSB is caused by the fungal pathogen Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum and in most cases it occurs together with Fusarium, another fungal disease. This disease spreads through seed, soil and air at the same time. The use of seed and aerial infections are difficult to manage with chemical infection. is a good option to overcome this problem.”

The researchers noted that the soil will develop infection when watermelon is grown in the same soil without crop rotation for a long time.

Development of Arka Shakti

Arka Shakti, a rootstock hybrid, is an interspecific cross between Citrullus amarus and Citrullus lanatus and is resistant to fungal diseases.

He explained, “When we develop a new disease-resistant rootstock, we have to ensure that the same genus is used. For example, watermelon belongs to the genus Citrullus and Citrullus amarus also belongs to the same genus. It is also a wild species that is less susceptible to diseases. Farmers can bring any variety of watermelon seeds that they buy from the market, and then they are grafted by Shaktina plants on Arka and grafting. a chamber that maintains the required temperature and light. Later, the plants moved to a field where watermelon is grown.

Cultivation cost with Arka Shakti

The entire process of grafting and growing the plants before moving them to the fields can be done with the help of nurseries as they have the necessary equipment and skilled manpower to graft them, he said.

He said, “Nurseries charge ₹ 6 to 8 per plant. If a farmer currently invests ₹ 60,000 in growing watermelon on one acre of land, he earns ₹ 2.5,000 per acre after harvest and sale. If grafted using Arka Shakti rootstock, farmers will receive ₹ 07,500 more per 1 acre acre, but the watermelons will be disease-free and profits will they can also increase due to good quality and quantity.

Mr. Prof. Rao said the IIHR had grown a small amount of watermelons using the Arka Shakti rootstock. “The color of the watermelon is good, unlike the faded watermelons available in the market. The taste of the fruit is also sweet and each fruit is 2 to 3 kg more than a normal watermelon. It weighs 3 to 8 kg depending on the variety,” he said.

Reach out to farmers through nurseries

Since it is not possible for the IIHR to commercially introduce Arka Shakti to farmers in a large market, they want to train nurseries from all over India who are interested in learning the technique.

He said, “These new rootstocks can reach farmers through nurseries, which is a win-win situation. Nurseries can generate income while farmers can expect good yield along with profits.”

Published – 30 Sep 2026 16:51 IST