Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli cause wilt in gladiolus. Fusarium wilt is a major constraint to flower industry with respect to good quality and yield. Use of fungicides for the management of Fusarium wilt has been found to be inconsistent. Application of biocontrol agents constitutes an effective option for the management of Fusarium wilt. The present study was carried out to analyze the efficacy of biocontrol agents against Fusarium wilt. Twenty eight Trichoderma isolates and one fluorescent pseudomonad isolate were tested in vitro for their efficacy against Fusarium wilt pathogen of gladiolus. Isolates of T. harzianum (IIHR09, GJ16B, TN2A, HAR4B) and fluorescent pseudomonad (IIHRFP1) were found effective and further evaluated in vivo. All Trichoderma isolates were found effective in controlling Fusarium wilt of gladiolus in pot experiment while, and per cent of wilt incidence was observed in case of control and fluorescent pseudomonad isolate. Field trial for the management of Fusarium wilt of gladiolus using carbendazim tolerant Trichoderma isolate GJ16B was found effective that reduced wilt incidence from 18 to 4 per cent. The biocontrol mechanism studies revealed that selected Trichoderma isolates were possessed good competitive saprophytic ability. The isolate HAR4B was found to be the best in production of volatile compounds, while isolate GJ16B was the best in non-volatile compounds production. Besides GJ16B possessed strong mycoparasitic ability against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli. | Evaluation of biocontrol agents in management of wilt disease of gladiolus caused by Fusarium oxysporum F. Sp. Gladioli
