Trichoderma asperellum: A potential biocontrol agents against wilt of pigeonpea caused by Fusarium udum Butler

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium udum (FU) is one of the most devastating soil borne pathogens of pigeonpea. Rhizosphere of pulses is very rich in microbial diversity and possesses several kinds of beneficial microorganisms. Among the beneficial microorganisms, Trichoderma is the most widely used biofungicide worldwide. It is soil-borne filamentous fungi, capable of managing several plant pathogenic fungi. Twelve isolates of Trichoderma asperellum were isolated from pulses rhizosphere and evaluated against Fusarium udum under in vitro and in situ condition for their antagonistic and growth promoting ability. Out of twelve isolates tested, two isolates (IIPRTas-6 and IIPRTas-11) were most promising and inhibited maximum mycelial growth (70.83 and 69.17% respective-ly) of test pathogen under in vitro condition. For growth promotion potential, IIPRTas-4 and IIPRTas-12 were identified as promising in respect of root length (cm) and shoot length (cm) under pot conditions. The aim of this study was to identify the indigenous Trichoderma asperellum from pulses rhizosphere for management of wilt of pigeonpea.