ABSTRACT
Phytophthora blight of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian is a serious soil-borne disease in the major pepper-growing areas of the world (Leonian, 1922; Weber, 1932; Barksdale et al., 1984). It has been reported that P. capsici attacks plants such as pepper, eggplants, cucumber, honeydew melon, pumpkin, squash, tomato, and watermelon (Polach and Webster, 1972). Phytophthora rots of the lower stem of plants favored by high temperature, high soil moisture, and atmospheric humidity are common and most severe in low-lying, poorly drained areas. In pepper plants, a brown girdling rot of the stems becomes enlarged, the lower leaves drop, and eventually the whole plant wilts.
