Field Evaluation of Soil Fumigation and Fungicide Drenches for Control of Phytophthora fragariae in Red Gauntlet Strawberries. T. Wicks, South Australian Department of Agriculture, Box 1671, G.P.O. Adelaide, 5001. Plant Dis. 67:1255-1258. Accepted for publication 23 May 1983. Copyright 1983 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-67-1255.

Soil fumigation and fungicide drenches were compared for control of strawberry red stele (Phytophthora fragariae). In naturally infested soil, red stele was controlled either by fumigating with a mixture of chloropicrin and methyl bromide (2:1) at 450 kg/ ha or by preplant dipping and drenching the soil at planting with an aqueous suspension of either 500 mg/ L benomyl plus 500 mg/L metalaxyl or 500 mg/ L iprodione plus 500 mg/L metalaxyl applied at 100 ml/plant. In untreated areas, as many as 58% of the plants died and those that survived were severely stunted with red steles in 37% of their roots. In fumigated or fungicide-drenched areas, the number of dead plants rarely exceeded 5% and red stele roots were either not detected or their incidence was less than 1%.