Efficacy of bio-agents, botanicals, organic amendments against groundnut pathogens Sclerotium rolfsii and Aspergillus niger in-vitro

Abstract

Groundnut is an important oilseed crop susceptible to losses incited by soil borne pathogens of which collar rot caused by A.niger and stem rot caused by S.rolfsii are most important diseases in groundnut that kill the plants and their by direct effects on yields. Considering the limitations of chemical control, biological control is an important approach in this direction and was tested in-vitro. In dual culture, of the three Trichoderma species Trichoderma hamatum is more efficacious compared to Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma viride in inhibiting growth of test pathogens. In poisoned food technique, Allium sativum was proved to be the most effective botanical and recorded 100% reduction in growth of A. niger and S. rolfsii and of six organic extracts well decomposed FYM and Groundnut cake inhibits mycelial growth of S. rolfsii by 100% whereas vermicompost has shown higher growth inhibition of A. niger by 71.80%.