1Department of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh - 362 001, Gujarat, India.
2Department of Agricultural Statistics, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh - 362 001, Gujarat, India.
*Author for correspondence: E-mail: harsukhgajera@yahoo.com
Biocontrol agents - Trichoderma which in vitro inhibit the growth of fungal pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, were evaluated for their potential to produce various extra cellular enzymes at 8 days after inoculation (DAI). The highest extra cellular activities of cellulase and polygalacturonase (PG) were seen in the culture medium of F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri compared to culture media of sole Trichoderma agents and antagonism treatments. Among the four biocontrol agents, T. viride showed highest in vitro per cent inhibition of growth of fungal pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri on PDA medium. This percent inhibition was positively correlated with extra cellular specific activities of peroxidase, protease, chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase. The possible involvements of these enzymes in the antagonistic interaction between Trichoderma spp. and F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri is discussed. T. viride showed highest extra cellular production of pathogenesis related enzymes - chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase and protease in the culture medium during antagonism followed by T. viride 60, T. harzianum, T. Virens. This improvement in extra cellular enzyme production during fungal pathogen growth inhibition by T. viride suggests that it is a suitable strain to be used in biological control of plant pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri.
Antagonism, biological control, extra cellular enzymes, Fusarium oxysporum, Trichoderma
