Microbial Activity and Biomass in Container Media for Predicting Suppressiveness to Damping-Off Caused byPythium ultimum

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Abstract
Predictive guidelines, based on general microbial activity and biomass, were developed for the formulation of cantainer media suppressive to cucumber damping-off caused by Pythium ultimum. Disease severity correlated negatively with microbial activity, based on the rate of hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate, and with microbial biomass, based on extractable phospholipid phosphate content in the container media. A preliminary mathematical model for predicting Pythium damping-off severity, based on both microbial activity and biomass, is propsed, and possible applications and potential limitations are discussed.