Biological Control of Damping off and Foot Rot of Chilli Using an Indigenous Trichoderma harzianum

Quick Response Code Abstract: Damping off and foot rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively are the two deadly diseases in chilli occur at the seedling stage. In the present study, the formulated indigenous Trichoderma harzianum and its spore suspension alone or in combinations were used to control damping off and foot rot diseases of chilli in net house conditions. The combined application of chickpea based formulated T. harzianum and its spore suspension was found to reduce damping off by 75.02-86.96% and foot rot by 74.29-89.28% over control caused by both the fungi. The combined application of the treatment was also found to increase seed germination by 66.23-90.57% over control. Furthermore, the combined application of formulated T. harzianum and its spore suspension also resulted higher shoot length (9.33 cm and 7.88 cm), root length (4.03 cm and 3.95 cm), and vigor index (1097% and 1010%) at 14 days after sowing over S. rolfsii and F. oxysporum inoculated plants, respectively. Based on the present investigation, the chickpea bran-based Trichoderma harzianum formulation and suspension might be exploited for the management of damping off and foot rot diseases of chilli.