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Trying to Identify Pumpkin Disease #880324

Asked August 05, 2024, 6:23 PM EDT

We planted four pumpkin seedlings in May from two different sources.  One of the plants had spots on the leaves but it grew normally and it did not seem to be affecting anything. It didn't really fit the criteria for powdery mildew because the leaves looked more like a separation of the top and bottom layers with no evidence of insects like leaf miners.  Each new leaf had that blister look. However the fruit it started making was abnormal so we cut out the vine and now a couple of the other plants are showing the same thing on new leaves. They have well-developed pumpkins and we hate to cut those out. Is this something we can treat with a copper or sulfur solution?

El Paso County Colorado

Expert Response

Janet, 

Thank you for your question. 

What your pumpkin plant appears to have is called genetic silvering. This is often confused with powdery mildew due to its color, but it will appear within leaf veins and have a blocky shape.

Here is a link provided by the University of Florida to help better explain. 

https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/u-scout/cucurbit/silver-leaf.html

Below is a link provided by the University of Missouri for white fly control. This includes cultural, biological and mechanical methods. It also gives you biology and damage information. Probably way more than you wanted to know!

https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g7275

Please read the information we have provided and let us know if you have any additional questions. 

Kindly, 

Kerry P

Colorado Master Gardener 


 

An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 06, 2024, 5:49 PM EDT

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