Efficacy of biological and chemical treatments for controlling damping off (Pythium spp.) of bitter gourd

Abstract

This study evaluates the efficacy of biological and chemical treatments in controlling damping-off disease (Pythium spp.) in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia). The experiment was conducted with seven different treatments, including Trichoderma spp., Vitavex, Bavistin, and Mancozeb, applied both as seed and soil treatments. The results indicated that the combined application of Trichoderma soil treatment and Vitavex seed treatment significantly increased germination percentage and reduced the incidence of pre- and post-emergence damping-off. These findings suggest that integrating biological control agents with chemical fungicides can effectively manage damping-off disease and enhance the growth of bitter gourd seedlings.