The analysis of progress and the yield losses due to melon yellowing, caused by Melon yellowing-associated virus (MYaV), were studied in two melon hybrids (Aclain and Frevo) under natural infection in a commercial field in Russas county, Ceará State (Brazil). Plants were monitored throughout a growing cycle following the incidence of melon yellowing. By the end of the cycle, fruits were harvested, weighted and sampled to estimate the total solid soluble (TSS). The linear, exponential, monomolecular, logistic and Gompertz models were used for examining their suitability in fitting growth data. The monomolecular model attained the best fitness to describe the data for both hybrids according to the coefficient of determination and error mean square, although the Gompertz model also described the data well for the Aclain hybrid. Fruit weight and TSS contents were not affected by melon yellowing in both hybrids.
Cucumis melo; epidemiology
