Exploration of Potent Biocontrol Agent against the Damping off Disease of Tomato (Pythium aphanidematum) and its in-vitro Management

Author: Sultana A.S., Thiruvudainambi S., Masurkar P. and Kumar A.

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Abstract

The identification of potential biocontrol agents from the large-scale screening conducted in surveyed regions, as well as evaluating their efficacy, was a very cumbersome task. A total number of twenty isolates of two different biocontrol agents ten each of Trichoderma sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were isolated from soils of Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu, India, and were evaluated for their ability to inhibit plant pathogenic Pythium aphanidematum in vitro. We evaluated the bio-control agent from the same place as the disease. It was found that the isolates had the pathogenic inhibitory ability and also control Pythium aphanidematum damping-off in tomatoes in interested field soils. Both the isolates tested significantly reduced damping-off severity in tomatoes. A difference in their effect on plant disease severity, percentage of dead plants, and plant biomass in the pathogen's presence was also observed among both fungal and bacterial isolates. In vitro, the efficacy of the screened potential bio-control agents i.e. four Trichoderma and three Pseudomonas species was analyzed. 4 fungal (TNAUF2, TNAUF6, TNAUF9, TNAUF12) and 3 bacterial (TNAUB3, TNAUB6, and TNAUB10) isolates showed significant inhibition against Pythium aphanidematum over control. The highest percent inhibition was found in TNAUF6 (T. viride) isolate and the minimum percent inhibition was found in TNAUB10 (Pseudomonas fluorescens). This study is important because native bio-control agents are expected to work more efficiently.

Keywords

Biological Control, Damping off, Tomato, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, Pythium

Conclusion

The in vitro management strategies provide valuable insights for optimizing the application of the biocontrol agent in a controlled environment. Further research is warranted to evaluate the efficacy of the biocontrol agent under field conditions and assess its compatibility with existing integrated pest management practices.

References

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How to cite this article

Sultana A.S., Thiruvudainambi S., Masurkar P. and Kumar A. (2023). Exploration of Potent Biocontrol Agent Against the Damping off Disease of Tomato (Pythium aphanidematum) and its in-vitro Management. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(5): 283-288.