In vitro Study of Antagonistic Capability of Trichoderma harzianum against Aspergillus niger Isolated from Rotten White Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Tubers

Abstract

In vitro antagonistic study using dual culture technique was carried out at Advanced Plant Pathology Laboratory, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria to assess the potential capability of Trichoderma harzianum as a biocontrol agent against Aspergillus niger isolated from rotten yam tubers. The test antagonist (T. harzianum) was introduced at three different times (same time with pathogen, two days before the inoculation of the pathogen and two days after the inoculation of the pathogen). The plates were incubated for 192 hours and measurements of mycelial radial growths were recorded at intervals of 24 hours beginning from the third day. The results of in vitro interactions between T. harzianum and A. niger revealed that T. harzianum was able to significantly (P ≤ 0.05) inhibit the growth of A. niger at the three different times of introduction of T. harzianum and this increased with the time of incubation. T. harzianum grew faster than A. niger and produced inhibition zones which completely stopped the growth of A. niger. Mean percentage growth inhibition was found to be highest (77.79%) when T. harzianum was introduced 2 days before inoculation of A. niger followed by introduction of T. harzianum same with A. niger (45.96%). The least percentage growth inhibition (28.47%) was recorded when T. harzianum was introduced 2 days after inoculation of A. niger. In all cases, T. harzianum was observed to be effective at checking the growth of A. niger in vitro and therefore showed the capability for the biological control of the pathogen. It is therefore recommended that for effective in-vitro control of A. niger, T. harzianum should be introduced 2 days before the arrival of A. niger.

Phylogenetical Identification of Trichoderma species; an Antagonistic Isolate from South-East Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria

“…The findings showed that the three most common fungal pathogenic organisms in both yam tuber cultivars are A. niger, Penicillium, and Fusarium. This outcome is consistent with those of [22] and [23] who discovered that these pathogenic organisms were the worst rot-causing organisms in yam tubers in various parts of Nigeria.…”

“…Thirty samples of yam, fifteen (15) of which were healthy and fifteen (15) of which were unhealthy, were gathered from five different farms in the Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. The samples were sent to the lab for quick microbiological investigation in sterile plastic containers.…”

“…Moreover, it has been stated that more than 50% of the yam tubers produced and harvested in Nigeria are lost during storage [14]. Rot-causing fungi are particularly important because they decrease vigor, which lowers tuber output and quality [15]. In Nigeria, Trichoderma harzianum has been used as a biocontrol agent against Colletotrichum species that cause yam dry rot [16].…”

Bio-efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum Rifai and Botanical Extracts against Major Fungal Pathogens of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) under Field Condition

“…The result conforms to the report of Gwa and Ekefan (2017) indicating that the antagonist has the potential for biological control of Colletotrichum spp., and when T. harzianum tested against Fusarium spp., a significant disease reduction, was obtained in cotton, melon and tomato (Panwar et al, 2014;Sivan & Chet, 1986). As a biological control agent, it is potent and can be used to combat a variety of agricultural diseases of various crops.…”

Molecular Profiling Ecofriendly Trichoderma Biological Control Agent of Yam Tuber Microbial Rot in Northern Nigeria

“…(Table III). Trichoderma sp inhibitory effect using Sangoyomi scale (Gwa et al, 2019) was effective for five (5) of the isolated…”