Unraveling the Antagonistic Potential of <i>Trichoderma</i> for Combating Sclerotinia Rot of Mustard

Identification of a sustainable alternative for the restricted range of current antifungal agents is one of decisive objective in modern agriculture. Consequently, extensive global research are been ongoing for unraveling the eco-friendly and effective bio agents that will be capable of controlling pathogens. This study explores the efficacy of Trichoderma isolates in combating Sclerotinia rot in mustard, primarily caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In this study, 12 Trichoderma isolates (designated as PBTMSR) were isolated using baiting technique from mustard rhizospheric soil as potential biocontrol agents and their cultural, morphological, molecular characteristics were studied along with in vitro and in field antagonistic potential assessment for selecting most promising isolates for the management of this disease. Cultural, biochemical characterization of all the isolates confirmed that the all the isolates belonged to Trichoderma spp. and among these, 06 isolates namely PBTMSR4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 were found most promising in their antagonistic potential against the test pathogen under in vitro conditions and were selected and evaluated under both artificial and natural epiphytotic field conditions for the management of Sclerotinia stem rot of mustard. Among Trichoderma isolate PBTMSR4 showed maximum reduction in Sclerotinia rot incidence (70.0% and 50.73%) with followed by PBTMSR8 (60.0% & 42.15%) under artificial and natural field conditions, respectively. The highest yield was with PBTMSR4 (23.70 q/ha) followed by PBTMSR8 (23.11 q/ha) as compared to check (21.48 q/ha) under natural field conditions. These two Trichoderma isolates namely, PBTMSR4 (OR351298) and PBTMSR8 (OR355825) were identified as Trichoderma afroharzianum and Trichoderma lixii respectively. The findings have practical implications for agriculture, suggesting a sustainable biocontrol strategy that can enhance crop resilience and can also contribute to integrated pest management practices.