Investigation of the effect of antagonistic fungi on the incidence of cotton Verticillium wilt and seedling damping-off diseases

Chemical pesticides used in the agriculture including cotton cultivation may have different harmful impacts on the agricultural environment. Since, one of the most suitable strategies for controlling cotton diseases is biological control, we therefore studied the possibility of biological control of cotton Verticillium wilt and seedling damping-off diseases in the field condition. The effectiveness of antagonistic fungi (Trichoderma harzianum and Talaromyces flavus) on above-mentioned diseases and several growth characteristics was investigated in Neishaboor and Moqan cotton fields. Each experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block with ten treatments and four replications. Overall results obtained from Neishaboor experiment showed that antagonistic fungi did not affect growth characteristics, but soil treatment with T. flavus or T. harzianum mediated maximum decrease in disease incidence. On the other hand, in Moqan experiment, application of both antagonistic fungi as soil and seed treatment, significantly increased growth characteristic and caused a significant decrease in the incidence of both diseases.