Efficacy of Muscodor albus for the Control of Phytophthora Blight of Sweet Pepper and Butternut Squash

The efficacy of Muscodor albus. a potential soil biofumigant. to control root and stem rot by Phtophthora capsici, was examined in a greenhouse study. P.capsici-infested potting mix was treated with three rates of M. albus. mefenoxam (Ridomil Gold EC Syngenta Crop Protection. Inc.). or nothing. Seedlings of five sweet Pepper cultivars and one butternut squash cultivar Were transplanted into the treated putting mix. After 7 days, the plants were rated oil a scale of 0 (healthy) to 5 (dead). The experiment wits Conducted three times and there was a significant interaction between pepper cultivar and soil treatment. Treatment with the highest rate of M. albus resulted in a slight but significant reduction in disease severity oil Alliance. Aristotle, Paladin. and Revolution pepper compared with the pathogen-only control. while no significant decreases in disease severity were observed with butternut squash or the hi.-lily susceptible pepper cv. Red Knight. Of the four less-susceptible pepper cultivars. Paladin (the Most tolerant cultivar) was the only one oil which M. albus. as applied in this study. reduced disease severity to commercially acceptable levels.