In vitro bioefficacy of biocontrol agents against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, causing wilt disease of tomato

Biotic and abiotic stresses are major constraints in the production of tomato. Among biotic stresses apart from bacterial and viral diseases, many fungal diseases are of economic importance. Fusarium wilt seems to be most important and devastating disease of tomato. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, being soil borne is the major threat to successful cultivation and growing of tomato. Therefore, various potential biocontrol agents were evaluated in vitro against the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, at the Department of Plant Pathology, VNMKV, Parbhani. Though all test bioagents were found antagonistic to the test pathogen, but most efficient were, Trichoderma harzianum, which resulted with significant highest mycelial growth inhibition (84.64%), of the test pathogen, followed by Metarhizium anisopliae (82.08%) and Bacillus subtilis (80.65%).