Chemical control is the most widespread control method. To ensure sustainable, economically and ecologically intensive agriculture, research are conducted to develop alternative control methods. One of these is based on the association of cultivated crops with companion plants aiming to provide services to the agro-ecosystem. Flower strips appear to be a promising lever for promoting pest control but a careful selection of the plant species used is needed prior to implementation to avoid possible negative side effects. The companion plants participate in pest control by favoring natural enemies, and strips of non-host plants can protect crops from non-persistent viruses by allowing aphids to probe on healthy plants and thus to lose their virus load before reaching the crops. They can also act as repulsive (plants with repellent properties) and attractive (trap plants). For exemple, rosemary can serve as a companion plant to control Myzus persicae because of the repellent effect of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that it emits.

Previous studies  were conducted on Vat gene which confers resistance to colonization by A. gossypii and resistance to non-persistent viruses, such as CMV (cucumber mosaic virus) and WMV. It is however ineffective in blocking the transmission of viruses inoculated by other aphid species. The effect of Vat on non-persistent virus (ZYMV, WMV and CMV) epidemics is thus expected to be limited when A. gossypii is not the main aphid species visiting the melon crop. On the contrary, although not documented, its effect on the persistent virus CABYV mainly vectored by A. gossypii is expected to be strong.