EVALUATION OF Trichoderma SPECIES AND FUNGICIDES ON NUTRITIONAL QUALITY AND YIELD OF TOMATO

Trichoderma spp. have been utilized as natural control operators against soil borne plant pathogens. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the ability of three strains used viz. T. harzianum, T. viride and T. koningii. in decreasing the disease severity of Fusarium sp. in tomato under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Trichoderma spp. support and improves the development and yield constraints of tomato and control Fusarium under field conditions. The prevailing pathogen, which causes fungal wilt of tomato, an economically important disease of tomato was isolated, diagnosed and recognized as Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (FOL). Tomato seedling treated with T. harzianum displayed a stimulatory effect on plant stature upto 70 cm, dry weight of roots upto 8.21 g) and disease incidence upto 2.63 Per cent of tomato plants, as comparison to untreated treatment as control i.e, plant height 53 cm)and with dry weight 2.20 g and disease incidence with 28.57%. Therefore, T. harzianum shows potential to be good displayed bio-control agent against F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. On the basis of current study, the biocontrol agents of plant diseases may be exploited for ecological disease controlling missions to save ecological hazard. Hence, the antagonist T. harzianum is preferred to be the most accomplished bio-weapon for management of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.