International Journal of Agricultural Science Research Vol. 3(5), pp. 069-076, May 2014 ISSN 2327-3321 ©2014 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Enhancement of growth parameters and yield components in eggplant using antagonism of Trichoderma spp. against fusarium wilt disease

Montaser F. Abdel-Monaim¹*, Mohsen A. Abdel-Gaid², Sahar A. Zayan¹ and Dalia M.T. Nassef³

¹Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

²Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. 

³Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: fowzy_2008@yahoo.com.  

Accepted 20 May, 2014

Abstract

Eggplant is one of the important economic vegetable crops which are attacked by several serious diseases such as wilt. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melongenae was isolated from a naturally occurring epidemic of wilt in eggplant plants grown in New Valley governorate. In this study, the mycoparasitism inhibitory effects of five Trichoderma species (Trichoderma spirale, Trichoderma hamatum, Trichoderma polysoprium, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma viride) on the growth of the causal agent of eggplant Fusarium wilt were investigated by dual culture in laboratory condition. In this step, the maximum inhibitory effect was caused by T. viride (isolate TVM-5) and T. hamatum (isolate THM-2), while T. spirale (TSM-1) was the lowest ones. In pot experiment, the obtained data showed that all Trichoderma species reduced significantly the area under wilt progress curve caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. melongenae. T. viride and T. hamatum recorded the highest reduction of the area under wilt progress curve (AUWPC), where the AUWPC was reduced from 1125.33 in control to 244.0 and 325.33 AUWPC, respectively. Under field conditions, it showed that these treatments significantly reduced AUWPC and increased all tested growth parameters (plant height, no. of branches plant^-1) and fruit yield components (number of fruits plant^-1, fruits yield plant^-1, fruit weight, no. of fruit Kg^-1, fruit length, fruit diameters and fruits yield fed.^-1) compared to the control during the growing seasons (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). T. viride and T. hamatum were the best treatments in both reducing disease severity or increase growth parameters and fruit yield components.

Key words: Eggplant, Trichoderma species, wilt disease, growth parameters, biological control.