In vitro antagonism of Trichoderma spp. against F. oxysporum f. sp. Ciceris

Abstract

Trichoderma spp. have been developed into several commercial biological control products used in field crop and greenhouse systems and are known to control numerous soil-borne diseases, such as those caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Ciceris . The  present  study  was  carried  out  to  assess  the  efficacy  of  microbial  antagonist  for Fusarium  wilt  of  chickpea .  Biological control agents for plant diseases are currently being examined as alternatives to synthetic pesticides due to their perceived increased level of safety and minimal environmental impacts. Fungal biological control agents have several mechanisms of action that allow them to control pathogens, Trichoderma spp. has been widely used as antagonistic fungal agents against several pests. Among the three Trichoderma spp. tested in vitro (T. harzianum, T. viride and T. koningii), for antagonistic potentials against the fungus T. harzianum showed the best performance (89.8% inhibition) followed by T. viride (85.7% inhibition), and T. koningii (53 % inhibition).