Battling Watermelon Virus With Genes From Bottlegourds

Bottlegourds have been used around the world for food, bottles, bowls, spoons, musical instruments and even bird houses. Now a "genetic" genie in the versatile bottlegourd may be used to reduce **virus** infestation in **watermelons**. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) **plant pathologist** Kai-Shu Ling and geneticist Amnon Levi conduct research on plant diseases at the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. They are looking for tools to fight **zucchini yellow mosaic virus** (ZYMV), which infects cucurbit crops: cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash, bottlegourds and watermelons... Whole article on "ScienceDaily":[ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071003081911.htm]

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