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Abstract
Phytophthora blight disease caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian threatens vegetable production worldwide. It is imperative to develop practical and cost-effective alternatives to methyl bromide in order to sustain production of vulnerable vegetables including squash in Florida. Greenhouse studies have been conducted to evaluate the potential of the use of Acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM; Actigard 50WG) and plant growthpromoting rhizobacteria (PGPR; SE34 and IN973b) for control of Phytophthora blight on squash. Actigard at 30 and 3 mg/1 and PGPR strain SE34 at 107 CFU/ml significantly (P<0.05) reduced disease severity of Phytophthora blight of squash compared to the nontreated control. Actigard at 30 mg/1 provided the greatest protection in squash against P. capsici. No disease symptom developed on squash plants treated with Actigard at 30 mg/1 while nontreated inoculated plants collapsed due to the infection of P. capsici. The results suggest that ASM and PGPR are effective against P. capsici in squash and may be incorporated in integrated management strategies for control of Phytophthora blight of squash.