Trichoderma inoculant as disease biocontrol agent for high value crops: potential financial impact

Issue Date

12-2012

Abstract

Pest and diseases are major risk factors in intensive vegetable cropping such as those observed in Benguet, Norther Luzon, Philippines. Their effective control using biological agent increases farmers of Trichoderma microbial inoculant (TMI) in crop disease control reduced use of fertilizers, and financial benefits to farmers of the technology. Ten Benguet farmer-users of (TMI) were monitored for inputs, yield and disease incidence in cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, potato, carrot, celery and chrysanthemum. In a farmer's field, a randomized block design with three replicates was followed using terraces as blocks. Data for inputs were taken from one block for each treatment while yield and disease incidence data were collected from one plot in a block. Each farm was considered as one independent experimental unit. Farmers' practice (FP) of using chemical pesticides only that served as the Control treatment (TO) was compared with chemical pesticides + different levels of TMI application: T1- once, T2- two times application, T3- three times application and T4- four times application of TMI, respectively. The TMI water suspension (0.5 g m²) was sprayed on the soil at weekly interval. Farmers (except in Chrysanthemum) reduced fertilizer use by 50% in TMI treatments compared to FP. Mancozeb was the main chemical fungicide used. Profenos, carbaryl, cartap were the most commonly used chemical insecticides. Disease control and increase of crops' marketable yield were significantly positively correlated to the frequency of TMI application. Yield increase was translated to financial benefits for all farmers except in cabbage. Gross profit in T4, TMI applied four times, was doubled that of FP. Cabbage farmer suffered losses in all treatments due to low selling price at PhP 4 kg¯¹ yield. The study clearly demonstrated the profitability and efficacy of use of TMI as biocontrol agent of crop disease.

Trichoderma inoculant as disease biocontrol agent for high value crops: potential financial impact

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Crop Science

ISSN

0115-463x

Volume

37

Issue

3

Page

64-75

Document Type

Article

Frequency

tri-quarterly

Physical Description

ictures, graphs, tables

Language

English

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