Biocontrol Potential of Trichoderma viride Against Wilt Disease of Jasmine (Jasminum sambac L. Aiton) Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.

A study was carried out to test the antagonistic potential of fifteen isolates of Trichoderma viride against the jasmine wilt pathogen, Sclerotium rolfsii. The isolate T.viride (Tv12) showed the maximum inhibition of mycelial growth of S.rolfsii (75.38) over control followed by T.viride (Tv1) and T.viride (Tv4) with 72.72 and 70.83 per cent inhibition respectively. The Competitive Saprophytic Ability (CSA) and colonization of T.viride isolates were assessed. Among the 15 isolates tested, Tv12 registered 84.03 per cent colonization followed by Tv1 with 71.32 per cent colonization. All other isolates of T.viride were inferior to Tv12 in its saprophytic ability. The antagonistic isolates of T.viride were also tested for production of antifungal volatiles and their effect on the growth of S.rolfsii. All the isolates were found to produce volatile metabolites, which inhibited the mycelial growth of test pathogen at varing levels from 69.28 to 41.19 per cent.