Evaluation of the efficiency of Trichoderma, Penicillium, and Aspergillus species as biological control agents against four soil-borne fungi of melon and watermelon

Naima Boughalleb-M’Hamdi,Ibtissem Ben Salem,Mahmoud M’Hamdi

doi:10.1186/s41938-017-0010-3

Naima Boughalleb-M’Hamdi, Ibtissem Ben Salem + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41938-017-0010-3

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Abstract

Various experiments were carried out to promote biological control under semi-arid ecological conditions. In vitro assay, Aspergillus flavus seemed to be the most effective bioagent against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum and Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae with mycelial inhibition rate above 50%. Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terreus exhibited an exceptional hyperparasitism against F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis. The mycelial growth of five Macrophomina phaseolina isolates decreased in the presence of Trichoderma harzianum (44.42%). In greenhouse experiments, both A. flavus and A. fumigatus used preventively of melon inoculated with FOM generated the highest damage reduction rate of top and root dry weights (40–42 and 51–52%, respectively) and the lowest disease severity index (DSI). A. flavus was also effective in improving the plant development with the highest shoot (SDW) and root (RDW) dry weight values. Penicillium digitatum, Trichoderma harzianum, and Trichoderma viride treated preventively on watermelon and melon plants inoculated with M. phaseolina decreased the damage of SDW and RDW and DSI. The development rate revealed the growth improvement potential of T. harzianum (watermelon, 15%) and A. flavus (melon, 12%). Watermelon plants inoculated with F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae and treated curatively with Trichoderma erinaceum, T. viride, and A. flavus and other inoculated by F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum and treated by Trichoderma helicum recorded the highest values of growth parameters, similarly for T. erinaceum on melon plants inoculated by F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae. Among all treatments for plants inoculated by F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis, those three bioagents T. viride, T. erinaceum, and A. flavus revealed efficiency in plant growth. Trichoderma harzianum is the best bioagents against cucurbit soil-borne pathogens. Preventive treatment represents an effective strategy. Dipping roots with bioagent fungi suspension improve a good interaction pathogen antagonist.

Highlights

Fusarium species are worldwide pathogenic fungi of many crop plants
F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae isolates showed a good resistance against the three Trichoderma species with inhibition rate below 30%
Among the different potential bioagents, Trichoderma erinaceum and Penicillium digitatum succeed to decrease the mycelial growth of F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum (41%) and F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae (32%) (Table 3)

Summary

Introduction

Fusarium species are worldwide pathogenic fungi of many crop plants. Is one of the most important phytopathogens causing Fusarium wilt disease in more than a hundred species of plants (Boughalleb & El Mahjoub 2006). The disease management of Fusarium wilt usually consists of soil fumigation, seed treatment, use of disease resistant varieties, Boughalleb-M’Hamdi et al Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control (2018) 28:25 methods (Eziashi et al 2007). Trichoderma spp. are the most widely studied biological control agents (BCAs) for root and shoot pathogens (Hajieghrari et al 2008), applied even in post-harvest (Woo et al 2014). Gava and Menezes (2012) showed that selected isolates of Trichoderma spp. were efficient to control soil-borne pathogens of melon in field. Several microorganisms have been reported as plant pathogen antagonists, but only a small number were applied on a commercial scale (Fravel 2005)

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