Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

IN VITRO EVALUATION OF BIOAGENTS AND BOTANICALS AGAINST COLLETOTRICHUM GLOEOSPORIOIDES (PENZ.) PENZ & SACC. CAUSING ANTHRACNOSE OF POMEGRANATE

Devanshu Dev, Somashekhar Konda, M. E. Puneeth, N. Tanuja, Prachi Singh and T. Narendrappa

Abstract

Pomegranate (Punica grannatum L.) is an ancient table fruit of tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Anthracnose of pomegranate is one of the contributing factors for this low productivity. Therefore, the ecofriendly and environmentally safe management of anthracnose disease with the use of bioagents and botanicals is necessary. Different bioagents and botanicals evaluated under in vitro condition against the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides reaveled that fungal bio agents viz., Trichoderma viride, T. asperellum and T. harzianum showed 87 to 100% mycelial growth inhibition of the fungal pathogen while, bacterial bioagents viz., Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus cereus showed 47 to 52% mycelial growth inhibition of C. gloeosporioides. However, botanical, Nagadhale leaf extract, showed 68.28% mycelial growth inhibition of fungus under laboratory dual culture technique.