Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions

Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr., the fungal pathogen that causes ascochyta blight, is a serious global danger to chickpea crops, especially in the Mediterranean and other colder, wetter climates. This foliar disease can cause losses of up to 50% and is particularly damaging in humid and rainy enviro...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qasim A Marzani, Kamalaldeen M. Fatah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Salahaddin University-Erbil 2025-06-01
Series:Zanco Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://zancojournal.su.edu.krd/index.php/JPAS/article/view/3163
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1839646607343091712
author Qasim A Marzani
Kamalaldeen M. Fatah
author_facet Qasim A Marzani
Kamalaldeen M. Fatah
author_sort Qasim A Marzani
collection DOAJ
description Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr., the fungal pathogen that causes ascochyta blight, is a serious global danger to chickpea crops, especially in the Mediterranean and other colder, wetter climates. This foliar disease can cause losses of up to 50% and is particularly damaging in humid and rainy environments. Severe outbreaks frequently result in total crop destruction. Chemical control, despite providing quick and efficient intervention, presents challenges such as environmental contamination and the evolution of fungicide resistance due to the heterothallic nature of the fungus. This study aimed to explore the use of antagonistic fungi as a safer alternative for managing Ascochyta blight damage. In a field trial, the commercial product Biocont-T, containing Trichoderma harzianum, was applied as a pre-planting treatment and mixed with peat moss at various rates. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and was replicated three times. Results indicated that the most effective treatment inhibiting the disease (55.55%) involved a peat-based soil inoculation mixture containing 20.8 kg/ha of Biocont-T and 2083 kg/ha of peat moss (T3). This was followed by T1 (20.8 kg/ha of Biocont-T), which inhibited the disease by 52.77%, T2 (41.66 kg/ha of Biocont-T) with a 41.66% inhibition rate, and T6 (1041.66 kg/ha of pre-inoculated peat moss with the bioagent for one week), also with a 41.66% inhibition rate. In conclusion, while using T. harzianum as a biocontrol agent did not completely eradicate the disease, it proved an effective method with no adverse environmental effects.
format Article
id doaj-art-2fb8785e8d664a36bdffbacd4d6b7ba7
institution Matheson Library
issn 2218-0230
2412-3986
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Salahaddin University-Erbil
record_format Article
series Zanco Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-2fb8785e8d664a36bdffbacd4d6b7ba72025-06-30T09:29:57ZengSalahaddin University-ErbilZanco Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences2218-02302412-39862025-06-0137310.21271/ZJPAS.37.3.10Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field ConditionsQasim A Marzani0Kamalaldeen M. Fatah1Department of Plant Protection, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region , Iraq.Department of Plant Protection, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region , Iraq. Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Labr., the fungal pathogen that causes ascochyta blight, is a serious global danger to chickpea crops, especially in the Mediterranean and other colder, wetter climates. This foliar disease can cause losses of up to 50% and is particularly damaging in humid and rainy environments. Severe outbreaks frequently result in total crop destruction. Chemical control, despite providing quick and efficient intervention, presents challenges such as environmental contamination and the evolution of fungicide resistance due to the heterothallic nature of the fungus. This study aimed to explore the use of antagonistic fungi as a safer alternative for managing Ascochyta blight damage. In a field trial, the commercial product Biocont-T, containing Trichoderma harzianum, was applied as a pre-planting treatment and mixed with peat moss at various rates. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and was replicated three times. Results indicated that the most effective treatment inhibiting the disease (55.55%) involved a peat-based soil inoculation mixture containing 20.8 kg/ha of Biocont-T and 2083 kg/ha of peat moss (T3). This was followed by T1 (20.8 kg/ha of Biocont-T), which inhibited the disease by 52.77%, T2 (41.66 kg/ha of Biocont-T) with a 41.66% inhibition rate, and T6 (1041.66 kg/ha of pre-inoculated peat moss with the bioagent for one week), also with a 41.66% inhibition rate. In conclusion, while using T. harzianum as a biocontrol agent did not completely eradicate the disease, it proved an effective method with no adverse environmental effects. https://zancojournal.su.edu.krd/index.php/JPAS/article/view/3163: Chickpea, Blight, Ascochyta, Biocontrol.
spellingShingle Qasim A Marzani
Kamalaldeen M. Fatah
Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions
Zanco Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
: Chickpea, Blight, Ascochyta, Biocontrol.
title Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions
title_full Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions
title_fullStr Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions
title_full_unstemmed Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions
title_short Assessment Of The Anti-Fungal Activity Of Trichoderma harzianum Against Seed-Borne Chickpea Ascochyta Blight Under Field Conditions
title_sort assessment of the anti fungal activity of trichoderma harzianum against seed borne chickpea ascochyta blight under field conditions
topic : Chickpea, Blight, Ascochyta, Biocontrol.
url https://zancojournal.su.edu.krd/index.php/JPAS/article/view/3163
work_keys_str_mv AT qasimamarzani assessmentoftheantifungalactivityoftrichodermaharzianumagainstseedbornechickpeaascochytablightunderfieldconditions
AT kamalaldeenmfatah assessmentoftheantifungalactivityoftrichodermaharzianumagainstseedbornechickpeaascochytablightunderfieldconditions