Screening of Trichoderma species of Jammu region against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum causing wilt in cucumber

摘要

Cucumber wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum is one of the major constraints for stable production of cucumber in many countries worldwide, including India. An excessive use of plant protection chemicals for increasing crop yield is uneconomical and environmentally hazardous. This situation eliminates the ecologically beneficial microbes from soil which otherwise improve the crop health. Of the several fungal antagonists tested, Trichoderma spp. was extensively explored for the control of soil borne plant pathogens. They are frequently associated with both biocontrol activity and promotion of plant and root growth (5). Many Trichoderma strains have been identified as potential biological control agents of plant pathogenic fungi of several crops including strawberries, beans, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, radish, sugarbeet and cotton. The mechanisms by which strains of Trichoderma function are mycoparasitism, antibiosis, competition for nutrients or space, tolerance to stress through enhanced root and plant development, induced resistance, solubilisation and sequestration of inorganic nutrients and inactivation of pathogen enzymes (5). The present study was aimed to evaluate local Trichoderma isolates of Jammu region under in vitro conditions in order to find potential Trichoderma isolates for incorporation in the management strategy of cucumber wilt.