Abstract
Phytophthora cinnamomi is known to survive more than 50 years on impacted sites in the Eucalyptus marginata forest. One of the most severely impacted landscapes within this area are the ‘black gravel’ sites and persistence of the pathogen has made these areas extremely difficult to rehabilitate. Previous research has shown that P. cinnamomi is a poor competitive saprophyte so it was postulated that complete removal of the vegetation will kill the pathogen. Eradication experiments on black gravel sites investigated the length of time P. cinnamomi can survive in the soil without living plant tissue. Results encourage the view that the pathogen can be eliminated from infested sites as recoveries decreased significantly two years after removal of living plants. Annual and herbaceous perennials play an unexpectedly important role in the disease cycle and must be eliminated if eradication is to be successful.