Biological control agents in the management of Bell pepper nursery diseases: A review

Abstract

Bellpepper (Capsicum annum L.) is the most popular and highly remunerative vegetable crop of India. It is consumed as fresh vegetable or condiment and is grown in cooler parts of India. This crop falls prey to various phytopathogens causing various diseases during different growth stages of crop viz. damping off, Phytophthora blight, root rot and fruit rot, Fusarium wilt, frog eye leaf spot, Verticillium root rot, Rhizoctonia root rot, powdery mildew, anthracnose etc. Damping off disease caused by different fungi like Pythium, Phytophthora, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotium, Phomopsis, Colletotrichum, etc. in the nursery is the most destructive malady resulting in plant death as seed decay or germination failure, pre and post emergence damping off, vascular wilt and root rot. At present, these soil borne pathogens are managed by application of various fungicides. However, non-judicious use of chemical fungicides and their persistence in soil is leading to phytotoxicity, environmental degradation and posing threat to human health, besides, development of resistance to agrochemicals by these pathogens is of major concern. Hence, an eco-friendly and sustainable strategy is required for managing these soil borne pathogens. Use of biocontrol agents in plant disease management is an emerging approach to counteract the effect of these soil borne pathogens.