Studies on different formulations of the bioagent Trichoderma in the management of stem bleeding disease in coconut
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25081/jpc.2020.v48.i1.6217Abstract
Stem bleeding disease is the most common and well-known disease of coconut and is prevalent in almost all coconut growing countries. Thielaviopsis paradoxa is the pathogen causing stem bleeding disease. The symptoms of the affected trunk areas exhibit dark discolouration and a reddish-brown or rust-coloured liquid bleeding from different points. Affected plants die within 3 to 4 months after stem symptoms first appeared, if corrective measures are not taken properly. Keeping in view the severity of disease and the need for managing the disease with effective biocontrol formulation, the current experiment was initiated during 2014 at Mukkamala village of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh State, India. The treatments like Trichoderma harzianum cake formulation, Trichoderma reesei paste formulation along with paste application of copper oxychloride were tested in the field conditions. Among the treatments tested, application of T. harzianum cake formulation completely brought down the disease index from 12.91 to 0 per cent within 50 days of cake application. Disease index of 17.70 was reduced to 2.05 in case of paste application of copper oxychloride, and disease index of 14.02 was reduced to 3.69 in case of paste application of T. reesei against stem bleeding disease of coconut over three years from 2015-2018. Thus, the cake formulation of Trichoderma was found very effective in managing the disease at the field level, which is a bioagent and safer for environment protection.