Abstract

The strawberry red core fungus, Phytophthora fragariae, was detected in infested soils using as baits rooted runners of a clone of Fragaria vesca. Inoculum levels were assessed using Most Probable Number analysis of infected plants in field samples mixed with various solid diluents. Although the procedure detected small numbers of zoospores, its sensitivity will ultimately depend on the level of oospore germination in soil.