STRAWBERRY IS AN IMPORTANT, HIGH-VALUE CROP FOR SMALL-SCALE GROWERS THROUGHOUT THE U.S., INCLUDING THE WARM AND HUMID SOUTHEASTERN REGION. GROWERS HAVE TYPICALLY USED ANNUAL, PLASTICULTURE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS DUE TO MULTIPLE HORTICULTURAL BENEFITS COMPARED TO PERENNIAL, MATTED-ROW PRODUCTION SYSTEMS THAT ARE MORE COMMON IN COOLER REGIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE ANNUAL, PLASTICULTURE SYSTEM IS DEPENDENT ON THE USE OF CHEMICAL SOIL FUMIGANTS TO CONTROL SOILBORNE DISEASES. IN THE SOUTHEAST, SOIL FUMIGATION IS USED TO CONTROL BLACK ROOT ROT OF STRAWBERRY, A DISEASE COMPLEX CAUSED BY SEVERAL FUNGAL PLANT PATHOGENS AND PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODES. FOR ORGANIC GROWERS IN THIS REGION WHO WANT TO USE ANNUAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, OR CONVENTIONAL GROWERS WHO WISH TO TRANSITION THIS FAMILIAR SYSTEM TO PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC STRAWBERRY, THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR NON-CHEMICAL SOIL DISINFESTATION TECHNIQUES THAT CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED INTO ORGANIC PRODUCTION SYSTEMS TO REDUCE INOCULUM OF SOILBORNE PATHOGENS AND INCIDENCE OF DISEASE, ENHANCE PLANT HEALTH, AND IMPROVE SOIL BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION. THIS INTEGRATED RESEARCH-EDUCATION PROJECT HASAN INTERMEDIATE-TERM GOAL TO PROVIDE TRANSITIONAL AND ORGANIC STRAWBERRY GROWERS WITH AN INCREASED NUMBER OF CHEMICAL-INDEPENDENT PLANT PROTECTION TACTICS AND TOOLS FOR DISINFESTING SOIL.THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF DISEASE DYNAMICS IN ORGANIC STRAWBERRY SYSTEMS AND HELP TO ADDRESS MAJOR BARRIERS THAT LIMIT TRANSITION TO ORGANIC STRAWBERRY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM GOALS ADDRESSED IN THIS PROPOSAL ARE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE USE OF ANAEROBIC SOIL DISINFESTATION (ASD) STRATEGIES ALONE, AND IN COMBINATION WITH INDIGENOUS ISOLATES OF TRICHODERMA SPP. (A BENEFICIAL SOIL FUNGUS)OR COMMERCIAL MICROBIAL BIOSTIMULANTS CONTAINING MYCORRHIZAE TO SUPPRESS SOILBORNE PATHOGENS AND PLANT DISEASE, AND TO ENHANCE PLANT GROWTH AND YIELDS. TO MEET THESE GOALS, WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING FOUR OBJECTIVES: (1) EVALUATE ASD AMENDMENT LIGNIN TO NITROGEN RATIO EFFECTS ON SOILBORNE DISEASE SUPPRESSION, INDIGENOUS TRICHODERMA POPULATION, AND STRAWBERRY COLONIZATION BY MYCORRHIZAE FOLLOWING ASD TREATMENT, (2) ASSESS IMPACT OF PRE-TRANSPLANT APPLICATIONS OF INDIGENOUS TRICHODERMA ISOLATES AND COMMERCIAL BIOSTIMULANTS CONTAINING MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI POST ANAEROBIC SOIL DISINFESTATION FOR IMPACT ON DISEASE DEVELOPMENT AND CROP PERFORMANCE COMPARED TO ASD TREATMENT ALONE, (3) EVALUATE IF ISOLATES OF TRICHODERMA ENHANCE INDUCED RESISTANCE IN STRAWBERRY POST-ASD TREATMENT, AND (4) DEVELOP OPEN-ACCESS MATERIALS FOR TEACHING SOIL DISINFESTATION IN ORGANIC SYSTEMS AT AN UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL.