Response of pH on indigenous biocontrol activity of fungal and bacterial biological agents against Rhizoctonia solani Nigam Rashmi1,*, Singh Joginder2 1Department of Plant Pathology, Janta Vedic College, Baraut-Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh–250 611, India 2Department of Horticulture, Janta Vedic College, Baraut-Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh–250 611, India *e-mail: rashminigampatho16@gmail.com
Online Published on 11 January, 2024. Abstract Root rot incited by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the major diseases of peas. As there are no long-term management strategies for this soil-borne pathogen, therefore, the study was carried out to determine the effect of pH on the antagonistic activity of fungal and bacterial isolates (Th3 and Th5 (Trichoderma harzianum), An1 (Aspergillus niger), Po3 (Penicillium oxalicum) and PS1, PS2, and PS5 (Flourescent Pseudomonas) against Rhizoctonia solani at four different pH levels (5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0). All seven indigenous fungal and bacterial isolates evaluated for their antagonistic potential against root-rot pathogen significantly retarded the radial growth of R. solani in comparison to control at four different pH levels (5.0, 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0). The observations of the study revealed that all bio agents significantly inhibited the growth of R. solani. Similarly, Trichoderma species had significant effects on the number and size of sclerotia. The pH range of 6.0-8.0 was found optimum for Trichoderma spp. while Fluorescent Pseudomonas showed the best antagonistic activity at pH 7.0. As far as the effect of pH levels is concerned, all the promising fungal and bacterial isolates caused maximum growth inhibition of test pathogens at pH 6.0 to 7.0. Top Keywords PH, Rhizoctonia solani, Trichoderma harzianum, Fluorescent, Pseudomonas, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium oxalicum. Top |