Management of Sclerotium rolfsii Induced Diseases in Crops by Trichoderma Species

Sclerotium rolfsii is a polyphagous pathogen, and its management is quite difficult and uneconomical owing to its wide host range and long-term survival in the form of hard resting structure, i.e., sclerotia. The pathogen is a threat to most of the agricultural crops as it incurs heavy yield losses. Chemical control, though, provides quick results, but it evokes concern relating to human health and is non-eco-friendly. Indiscriminate use of chemical fungicides leads to accretion of harmful chemical residues on the targeted crop, leading to serious health issues of the consumers. Biological control of phytopathogens has emerged as an attractive alternative to chemical control. Application of antagonistic microbes is considered as one of the potential management strategies in integrated management approach owing to their eco-friendly nature. Among them, Trichoderma species has been recognized as a potent biocontrol agent and is widely applied for the management of soilborne pathogens. A number of Trichoderma-based formulations, viz. Soilguard, Trichodex, and Trichojet, are commercially available in the market. Thus, biological management is a perfect alternative for chemical control as it ascertains food security in an ecologically safe and sound manner. Being a very popular biocontrol agent, Trichoderma spp. has a tremendous ability in the management of various diseases induced by S. rolfsii. Several researches carried out in the past are an explicit example of this. So the need of the hour is higher popularization of Trichoderma spp. for the efficient management of S. rolfsii in an eco-friendly manner.