I have been in several orchards this year which have been determined to have Phytophthora Crown Rot. This disease is aggressive and can cause rapid decline of any aged tree. Conditions that favor disease include excessive periods of saturated soils and cooler temperatures, which are common in the late winter and early spring. An infected tree can be identified by a rapid collapse of the canopy and the observation of a canker extending from the soil. Often, when soil from around the crown is removed, the canker can be observed. The occurrence of Phytophthora has becoming more common over the past few years. Reviewing my records over the past 7 years, farm visits regarding Phytophthora disease diagnosis and management were around 3 per year. Over the past two years, I have seen a 133% increase in annual visits. My notes suggest that this is due to lower quality of soils in which orchards are planted, poor selection of rootstocks for these soils, and mismatched irrigation scheduling for the soil type and tree size. In managing this problem, the industry has relied on several cultural and chemical control methods. Below are a few of the cultural practices, chemical management, and problems/concerns regarding Phytophthora root and crown rot. More information can be found at the UC IPM website. Rootstock selection. More peach-almond hybrid rootstocks are being planted in new orchards. These rootstocks are more vigorous and tolerant of toxic salts, but are susceptible to Phytophthora. In general, plum parentage rootstocks (e.g. Marianna-2624) are the most tolerant. Peach rootstocks, which include Nemguard and Lovell are moderately tolerant, while other complex hybrids (Viking and Atlas) have demonstrated some tolerance in greenhouse tests. Peach-almond hybrids (e.g. Hansen 536) are the most susceptible. Newer rootstocks remain untested (e.g. Krymsk-86, Empyrean-1, etc). In some cases, varieties are being planted on different