Biological control of fungi associated with seeds of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) using Trichoderm spp. and a commercial product of Muscodor crispans

Date

2014

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Major Course

Major in Plant Pathology

College

College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Christian Joseph R. Cumagun

Abstract

Sweet sorghum is one of the varieties of the sorghum plant that has high sugar content and a potential source of ethanol in biofuel production. However, various seed-borne fungi colonize sorghum causing seed rot, seedling death leading to poor crop stand. For sustainable sorghum disease management, the effect of seed-borne fungi on seed viability and vigor and the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma and a commercial product of an endophyte Muscodor crispans (B-23) were investigated in this study. Analysis of the significance of data was done by ANOVA and mean comparison was done using LSD (α=0.05) On freshly harvested seeds, the frequency of occurrence of C. lunata and F. verticillioides were 36.33% and 40.25%, respectively. Dominant fungi detected from sun-dried sorghum seeds and their frequency of occurrence are: A. niger (28.98%), C. lunata (29.80%), F. verticillioides (25.40%), and P. griseofulvum (20.40%). Among the four fungi, A. niger and C. lunata significantly reduced seed germination in moistened filter paper at 63.20% and 62.00%, respectively, compared with the non-inoculated control at 75.20%. C. lunata significantly reduced seed germination even in soil at 79.60% compared with non-inoculated control at 89.20%. xiv Both A. niger and C. lunata significantly reduced seedling height (8.09 cm, 7.89 cm) and root length (3.55 cm, 2.40 cm) in moistened filter paper as compared with the non-inoculated control. C.lunata and F.verticillioides significantly reduced the seedling height (12.56 cm, 14.7 cm) and root length (12.49 cm, 13.37 cm) in soil substrate as compared to the non-inoculated control. Reduction in root and shoot biomass by the four fungiwere not significantly different from the non-inoculated control. Using varying amounts of B-23, colony diameter of the four fungi on PDA were reduced significantly compared with the control. Test for the presence of volatile compounds showed that T. harzianum and T. viride were only effective against C. lunata as evidenced by significant reduction in colony diameter of 5.27 cm and 5.26 cm, respectively as compared with the control at 6.73 cm. Although effective in vitro, B-23 was not applied optimally on the target site. Significant effect of both Trichoderma species in enhancing germination of seeds inoculated with F. verticillioides at 33.33% and 40.95%, respectively was comparable to the fungicide Ridomil at 41.90% but no significant effect was observed against A. niger, C. lunata, and P. griseofulvum as compared with the non-inoculated control. The two Trichoderma species have significantly induced root length of sorghum seedlings inoculated with C. lunata (6.83 cm. 10.56 cm) and F. verticillioides (11.36 cm, 8.11 cm), respectively as compared with non-inoculated control (4.07 cm, 5.74 cm). The biocontrol potential of Trichoderma against the four fungi was shown to be selective and the need to optimize application using B-23 should be explored.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2014 A3 /S67

Notes

source: ilib only

Document Type

Thesis

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