Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital pulse crop in India, which contribute to nearly half (40%) of the pulses production in India and are excellent source of protein, fibers, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. They are highly susceptible to several soil-borne fungal pathogens, notably Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri, Macrophomina phaseolina and Sclerotium rolfsii, causing substantial yield losses. The increasing resistance to chemical fungicides and environmental concerns have led to the exploration of eco-friendly alternatives like biocontrol agents. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the bio-efficacy of native Trichoderma spp. against these pathogens. Seven isolates of Trichoderma spp. obtained from the rhizosphere were morphologically characterized and evaluated in vitro using the dual culture technique. Among them, T. virens (L-Tv-2) emerged as the most potent antagonist, exhibiting maximum mycelial growth inhibition of 77.43%, 83.89% and 64.63% against F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri, 80.00%,73.43% and100% against Macrophomina phaseolina and 79.46%, 63.52% and 85.81% against Sclerotium rolfsii, on 3^rd,5^thand 7^th day respectively. Followed by T. harzianum (L-Thr-2) also exhibited strong antagonistic potential, recording 64.51%,100% and 66.18% inhibition against F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri, 76.39%, 68.76% and100% against M. phaseolina and 77.17%, 60.71% and 66.18% against Sclerotium rolfsii on the on 3^rd,5^th and 7^th day. T. virens (L-Tv-1) also exhibited maximum antagonistic activity across all pathogens. Likewise, T. virens (L-Tv-1) demonstrated high efficacy, showing 73.82%, 79.34% & 60.03% inhibition against F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri, 77.73%, 55.5% &100%, against M. phaseolina also exhibited strong antagonistic potential, recording 75.22%, 52.23% & 59.74% against Sclerotium rolfsii on the on 3^rd,5^th and 7^th day. These findings emphasize the potential of native Trichoderma spp. as effective and environmentally sustainable biocontrol agents in the integrated disease management strategies for chickpea cultivation.