Trichoderma: Are we seriously promoting it as a biocontrol agent

Biocontrol properties of Trichoderma sp. was identified two years earlier than the first commercialized fungicides. Thiram was discovered in 1934. Fungicides and other synthetic chemicals have been promoted well in the agriculture; but, we have not seriously promoted Trichoderma sp. as biocontrol agent. Attempts were not proper to prepare a Trichoderma-based product sustaining large cap industries. Therefore, they did not see return in the business of it and maintained distance. Rules and regulation of synthetic insecticides which need to be discouraged and biocontrol agents which need to be promoted are same. Synthetic pesticides strategically circumvented these regulations and promoted themselves. However, biocontrol agents, despite being useful, have failed to comply with regulations for different product categories. The dosage of biocontrol agent remains inadequately studied. We have never assessed the field coverage of the recommended dose of Trichoderma if applied directly in the field. If 5.0kg Trichoderma based product (containing 2x10 cfu/g) is applied in one hectare, then 5g (one crore cfu) reaches in one cubic meter soil 7 which weight 1640 kg. Accordingly, one gram of soil receives merely six cfu of Trichoderma. This small amount of Trichoderma cannot provide effective results against the pathogen with high inoculum density. These are few unexplored and untouched area which we have never tried to resolve. If we want to promote Trichoderma seriously as a biocontrol agent, we need to thoroughly study these and resolve them.. KEYWORDS :Trichoderma, biocontrol agent, dose, biopesticides, fungicides