Trichoderma spp. condiospores production and its application with Streptomyces spp. for the management of Mycosphaerella fijiensis in banana

Background/Objective. Black Sigatoka (BS) is one of the main phytopathologies that reduces banana production in Mexico. Developing biological products based on antagonists is a predominant study activity. The production of conidiospores of Trichoderma spp. strains was evaluated in solid state fermentation using whole rice grains and cracked corn, and the effect of foliar applications of conidiospores against the BS epidemiology in banana cv. Great dwarf. Materials and methods. In solid state fermentation, the yield of four strains of Trichoderma spp. (T-82, T-85, T-94 and T-99) in whole rice (WR) and cracked corn (CC) was evaluated, an A×B factorial design was used (A=strains and B=substrate). The two strains with the best yield (T-99 and T-85) and a Streptomyces spp. based product was applied in the field to evaluate the epidemiology of BS through the severity, weighted average of infection (WAI) and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), through a randomized block design. Results. CC increased the yield of Trichoderma spp. in 71%, strains T-94 (1.41×108 conidiospores g-1) and T-85 (1.20×108 conidiospores g-1) achieved the highest yields. The T-85 strain reduced the severity, WAI and AUDPC of BS compared to applications of the chemical control “Mancozeb”. Conclusion. CC was the best substrate to obtain greater yield in Trichoderma spp. T-94 and T-85. The weekly application of conidiosporas of Trichoderma T-85 reduces the severity, WAI and AUDPC of the SN in banana cv. Great dwarf.