Evaluation of antifungal activity of bio-control agents and fungicides against Fusarium wilt of bell pepper

The production of many economically significant crops, especially vegetables and ornamentals, is severely hampered by soil-borne diseases. The most prevalent fungus that affects bell pepper in Ladakh is Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici. The wilt pathogen was identified as same by Indian Type Culture Collection (ITCC), New Delhi and was further confirmed by sequences of ITS region of isolated fungus. The objective of the study was to evaluate the biocontrol agents i.e., Trichoderma species and the fungicides that were most successful at treating Fusarium wilt of bell-pepper. In-vitro as well as in-vivo application of biocontrol agents and chemical fungicides, were tested against the wilt pathogen during the summer season of the year 2023-24. Under in vitro evaluation of fungicides and bio-agents, maximum mycelial growth inhibition was found in carbendazim (100%) preceded by carbendazim + mancozeb (87.28%) and Trichoderma harzianum (79.16%). Seed and seedling root dip application of fungicides revealed that carbendazim (5.02%) and combination of carbendazim and mancozeb (10.76%) recorded the lowest incidence of wilt over untreated control. Based on the outcome of the experiment as mentioned above, it can be stated that carbendazim (0.1%) is the most efficient chemical for treating bell pepper wilt. Without having any adverse effects on the ecosystem or on the health of human beings, Trichoderma species supports environmentally safe and sustainable agriculture.