**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE PLANT PATHOGEN PHYTOPHTHORA CAPSICI, WHICH CAUSES PHYTOPHTHORA BLIGHT, IS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS THREATS TO PRODUCTION OF CUCURBITS, AS THIS PATHOGEN CAN CAUSE UP TO 100% YIELD LOSS AND CAN PERSIST IN INFESTED FIELDS FOR SEVERAL YEARS THUS MAKING FIELDS UNUSABLE. CUCURBITS, WHICH INCLUDE CUCUMBERS, ZUCCHINI, WATERMELON, PUMPKINS, WINTER SQUASHES, AND OTHER COMMON CROPS, PROVIDE MANY IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS FOR A HEALTHY DIET AND CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE U.S. ECONOMY VIA JOBS, TRADE, AND AGROTOURISM. THUS, IT IS CRITICAL TO PREVENT LOSS OF THESE INVALUABLE CROPS. FUNGICIDES ARE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TO HELP CONTROL PHYTOPHTHORA CAPSICI; HOWEVER, RESISTANCE TO MANY OF THESE FUNGICIDES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN VARIOUS REGIONS WORLDWIDE AND THE PATHOGEN POPULATION CONTINUES TO CHANGE IN RESPONSE TO NATURAL AND HUMAN-CAUSED ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURES.THIS PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF PHYTOPHTHORA CAPSICI FOR CUCURBIT GROWERS, THUS MINIMIZING YIELD LOSSES. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL,PHYTOPHTHORA CAPSICI ISOLATES COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS CUCURBIT CROPS OVER TIME IN MICHIGAN WILL BE CHARACTERIZED FOR THEIR FUNGICIDE SENSITIVITY AND SEVERITY OF DISEASE CAUSED. THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON PATHOGEN POPULATIONS WILL ALSO BE EXPLORED BY GROWTH OF DIVERSE ISOLATES AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES IN A LAB SETTING AND BY SAMPLING FOR PHYTOPHTHORA CAPSICI IN A SUBSET OF FIELDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE PRESENTED TO GROWERS VIA VARIOUS METHODS ONLINE, IN PRINT, AND IN PERSON TO ENSURE ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED THROUGHOUT VARIOUS PARTS OF THE PROJECT, THUS STRENGTHENING THE FUTURE AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE WORKFORCE.