Biological control of Fusarium wilt of chillies using Trichoderma spp.

Chilli wilt caused by Fusarium solani is a serious menace in black cotton soils of Karnataka. Wilt incidence of 19.8 to 31.5 and 7.5 to 12.3% was recorded in major chilli growing regions of Karnataka during 2011–12 and 2012–13 respectively. Trichoderma harzianum isolates 1, 2 and 5 and T. viride isolate 2 completely overgrew F. solani and inhibited mycelia growth by 40–50% in vitro.T. viride gave moderate effect against wilt and increased yield upto 30% in Haveri district, while at Bellary, T. harzianum isolate 1 reduced wilt incidence by 39.7%.