Effect of fungal and bacterial antagonists on macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi. Goid) causing root rot in green gram

Abstract

Fifteen fungal and seven bacterial antagonists were tested for their antagonism against Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi. Goid) causing root rot in green gram by dual culture technique. The effect of fungal antagonists on sclerotia of M. phaseolina was also studied. Among the antagonistic fungi tested Trichoderma viride Ii (native isolate) and 7". har-iwuim \\ (native isolate) caused lower growth of the pathogen (42.33 and 44.25 mm) in dual culture. All the antagonists tried were found to reduce the number of sclerotia produced by the pathogen. However, T. viride I3 caused appreciable reduction in the number of sclerotia produced by the pathogen (69.0 per 9 mm disc) and it also caused the maximum reduction in the sclerotial size (70.3nm) of the pathogen. SclerotiaJ germination was also the least (39.70%) with T. viride Ij treatment.