INTEGRATED CONTROL OF ALTERNARIA SOLANI WITH TRICHODERMA SPP. AND FUNGICIDES UNDER IN VITRO CONDITIONS

The antagonistic efficiency of Trichoderma spp in integration with three fungicides (Captan, Cobox and Dithane M-45) against Alternaria solani was studied in an in vitro experiment conducted at the Department of Plant Pathology, KP Agricultural University, Peshawar, during 2006. Six isolates of Trichoderma were used individually and in combination with the fungicides by inoculating each of the antagonist at four sites around the pathogen on potato dextrose agar medium amended with the fungicides @ of 200 mg l^-1. In the control treatment, neither an antagonist nor a fungicide was applied. Each treatment was replicated five times in a completely randomized factorial design. After 10 and 20 days of incubation, data were taken by measuring the mean colony diameters of A. solani. The results showed that main effects of antagonists and fungicides and the interaction effect between antagonists and fungicides were significant (P 0.05). The greatest reduction in the colony diameter of A. solani was caused when Trichoderma harzianum (Th12) was integrated with Dithane M-45. These results show that integration of Trichoderma with the lower doses of the fungicides may offer a promising control of A. solani. This will reduce reliance on the indiscriminate use of fungicides, leading to more cost-effective and environmentfriendly control of the disease.