2.2. Seed and seedling production
Fungicide-free AF682 hybrid melon seeds (Sakata Seeds
Sudamerica Ltd) were used for all experiments. The seeds were
treated with 20 mL of the technical preparation and manually agitated
for approximately 30 s. The seeds of the control treatment
were treated with the same preparation without the addition of
conidia. After treatment, seeds were air-dried overnight and subsequently sowed in Styrofoam trays (128 cells per tray) containing
growth media (Plantmax, Eucatex Agro Ltd). The seedlings
were transplanted to the field after the first true leaf reached an
average length of 5 cm.
Ten seeds from each treatment were reserved to evaluate the
propagule number and the rate of spore germination. After overnight
drying, the seeds were transferred to flasks containing
100 mL of a solution of Triton X-100 0.1% and stirred at 150 rpm
for 30 min in an orbital shaker. The counting was conducted in
an improved Neubauer chamber, and the germination was evaluated
in microscopes as described above.