Antifungal potential of plant extracts and Trichoderma spp. against Fusarium wilt of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici

Abstract

Fungal attack on tomato is a serious problem in tomato growing areas. Among many fungal diseases, fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici cause a significant loss in yield. In current study, the pathogen was isolated from an infected tomato plant and identified on the basis of morphological characteristics. Due to harmful effect of fungicides, present study was designed to adopt the alternative methods. For this purpose, four plant extracts viz; Syzygium aromaticum, Allium Sativum, Euclyptus globulus and Lantana camara and two bio-control agents (Trichoderma harzanium and Trichoderma viridi) were evaluated to check their antifungal activity against this pathogen. It was observed that all the plant extracts showed significant results. S. aromaticum was the most effective in control of F. oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici followed by A. Sativum, E. globulus and L. camara. Both the bio-control agents inhibited the growth of fungus T. harzianum showed 42.60% growth inhibition and T. viride exhibited 36.69% growth inhibition. Application of plant extracts and bio-control agents are cost effective, easily available and eco-friendly for the management of fusarium wilt disease.