Biological management of wilt disease on chilli caused by Fusarium solani

Abstract

Wilt disease on chilli caused by Fusarium solani is emerging as an serious disease for its cultivation by resource poor farmers in recent days. Chilli plants showing typical symptoms such as yellowing and drooping of leaves and vascular discoloration upon split opening the stem was observed and the Fusarium solani pathogen associated with the symptom has been isolated. All the 15 Trichoderma isolates tested in vitro against the pathogen showed >52% inhibition of mycelial growth over control was observed. In the field evaluation, all the isolates were found effective in reducing the wilt incidence and improving the green chilli yield compared to control. Among all Phyto 6, found to be producing consistent performance against the wilt disease on chilli and also by improving the yield compared to other isolates and chemical control.