Effect of Various pH Levels on the Growth and Sporulation of Trichoderma viride Isolates and Assessing their Antagonistic Activity against Soil-borne Pathogens

Trichoderma viride strains, which are filamentous fungi commonly found in soil, possess the ability to parasitize various fungi harmful to plants. In this study, ten strains of T. viride were isolated from different locations in Uttar Pradesh, India, and examined for their cultural, physiological, morphological, and antagonistic characteristics against soil-borne pathogens. The T. viride isolates were assessed at different pH levels for their growth, sporulation, and antagonistic efficacy under in vitro conditions using the dual culture technique against five major soil-borne pathogens that cause significant diseases in cereal and pulse crops. Among the ten isolates tested, the 49CP isolate from Sultanpur exhibited the maximum growth and sporulation at a pH of 6.5 as well as the highest inhibition percentages of mycelial growth in the pathogens: 63.23% against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri, 65.85% against Sclerotium rolfsii, 53.33% against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, 53.84% against Pythium sp., and 48.00% against Rhizoctonia bataticola. Trichoderma viride is also recognized for its effectiveness as a biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens, which are responsible for significant crop losses.