Biological Control of Fusarium Wilt of Cucumber under in-vitro condition and in High Tunnels
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33866/phytopathol.037.02.1305Keywords:
Cucumber, Fusarium wilt, Trichoderma spp., Paecilomyces sp., tunnel cultivationAbstract
Cucumber is an important vegetable being affected by Fusarium wilt disease, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC), which is a soil borne disease, that transmits through soil and water and it is one of the most destructive diseases of cucumber plants under high plastic tunnel conditions worldwide including Balochistan, Pakistan. The current study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of four biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma harzianum, T. hamatum, T. viride, and Paecilomyces sp., using a dual culture assay under in vitro and naturally infested tunnel conditions in Balochistan in a Completely Randomized Design with four replications. The results under in vitro revealed that all the biocontrol agents significantly inhibited the radial growth of FOC as compared to control. The highest inhibition was demonstrated by T. harzianum (77%), followed by Paecilomyces sp. (75%), T. hamatum (72%), and T. viride (70%). Based on in vitro findings, three most effective agents such as T. harzianum, T. hamatum, and Paecilomyces sp. were further evaluated under high plastic tunnel conditions using soil drench method. The results under tunnel revealed that T. harzianum and T. hamatum demonstrated the highest effectiveness, reducing the disease incidence (13.2% and 17.0%), plant mortality (10.2% and 21.3%), and root infection (13.97% and 18.00%) compared to the untreated plants, moreover, with respect to the growth parameters, the both bioagents considerably enhanced the shoot and root growth, leading to increase the fresh and dry biomass of the plants. It was concluded from the findings of current study that the T. harzianum and T. hamatum could be effective biological agents for managing the Fusarium wilt of cucumber in high tunnels.References
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