INTRODUCTION Trichoderma -A Bio-Control Agent General characteristics, PREPARATION OF MOTHER CULTURE, Materials required, Method of application, Precautions.

2. INTRODUCTION
In developing countries, there is excessive use of chemical
pesticides to control plant diseases by agriculturist.
Pesticides not only pollute the soil but also cause
environmental pollution and human hazard. Among the
fungal biocontrol agents, Trichoderma spp. are being used
most abundantly against plant pathogens. Several species
of Trichoderma which produce volatile and non-volatile
antibiotics and enzymes are antagonistic to
phytopathogenic fungi and nematodes

3. Trichoderma -A Bio-Control Agent
Trichoderma spp. are free-living and abundantly present
in the soil and rhizosphere region and are mycoparasitic
of several soilborne plant pathogens. The fungus is
effective against pathogens causing various diseases of
the root region of plants, viz. collar rot, foot rot, damping
off, etc. In the rhizosphere region, some strains of
Trichoderma spp. release metabolites which improve the
growth of seedling, and it also causes resistance against
abiotic stress.

5. General characteristics
• Free living fungus common in soil
and root ecosystem.
• Highly interactive in root, soil and
foliar environment.
• Suppresses the pathogen by
different mechanism of
biocontrol.
• Cultures are fast growing in 25- 30
degrees centigrade.
• A characteristic sweet or coconut
odour is produced by some
species.

7. Targeted Species
Used in Damping off caused by Pythium sp. Phytophthora
sp., Root rot caused by Pellicularis filamentosa, Seedling
blight caused by Pythium, Collar rot caused by Pellicularia
rolfsii, Dry rot caused by Macrophomina phaseoli, Charcoal
rot caused by Macrophomina phaseoli, Loose smut caused
by Ustilago segetum, Karnal bunt diseases,
Effective against rots on a wide range of crops, caused by
fusarium, Rhizoctonia, and pythium.

8. Reduction of Anthracnose Disease On Grape
leaf by Trichoderma

9. Trichoderma harzianium induces systemic
protection against the pathogen Botrytis
ceneria in tomato

11. PREPARATION OF MOTHER
CULTURE
A new culture is prepared from Trichoderma mother
culture .
HOW?
PDA medium is prepared and some part of trichoderma
culture is transferred into petriplate (containing PDA
medium) from trichoderma mother culture through
inoculation needle under laminar air flow.
Seal the petriplate with paraffin wax and keep it in
incubator for 5-6 days at 25°C.
After 6 days, petriplate is fully filled with Trichoderma
culture .
For mass production, jowar seeds are inoculated with
spore suspension of trichoderma.

13. SPORE SUSPENSION OF
TRICHODERMA :
For this take 1ml of sterilized
water through pipette and
transfer it to Trichoderma
culture plate . And with the
help of spreader, spread this
water properly. In this way all
the spores of fungus get mixed
with distilled water. Then
transfer this mixture into 100 ml
sterilized water in a conical flask
.

14. Materials required:-
 Rice/wheat/sorghum/maize
 Mother culture (may be procured from CIPMCs or State biocontrol laboratory) of Trichoderma
 Conical flask
 Petriplates
 Spreader
 Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC)
 Cotton
 Spirit
 Potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium
 Pipette and pipette tips
 Silver foil
 Sucrose
 Rubber bands
 Talc powder
 Test tubes
 Weighing balance
 Sterilized distilled water
 Spirit lamp
 Microscope
 Blender
 Inoculation needle
 Polypropylene bag

17. BOD INCUBATOR

19. Method of application:
Seed treatment: Mix 6 - 10 g of Trichoderma
powder per Kg of seed before sowing.
Soil treatment: Apply 5 Kg of Trichoderma
powder per hactare after turning of sun hemp
into the soil for green manuring. Or Mix 1kg of
Trichoderma formulation in 100 kg of farmyard
manure and cover it for 7 days with polythene.
Sprinkle the heap with water intermittently.
Turn the mixture in every 3-4 days interval and
then broadcast in the field.

20. Cutting and seedling root
dip:
Mix 10g of Trichoderma
powder along with 100g of well
rotten FYM per liter of water
and dip the cuttings and
seedlings for 10 minutes before
planting

21. Precautions:-
1.Don’t use chemical fungicides after
application of Trichoderma for 4 to 5 days.
2.Don’t use Trichoderma in dry soil.
3.Don’t expose the treated seeds in direct
sunlight.
4.Do not open the cotton plug until use.
5.Keep the bioformulation in a cold place
(refrigerator preferably after sporulation).