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Efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum as a biological control of Fusarium oxysporum in container-grown Douglas-fir seedlings

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Abstract

Inoculating a soilless medium with encapsulated Trichoderma harzianum did not affect any aspect of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [Beissn.] Franco) seed germination or subsequent growth. Results of inoculating medium with a known pathogenic isolate of Fusarium oxysporum alone, or concurrently with T. harzianum, were the same: high levels of damping-off, low amounts of hypocotyl and root disease in midsummer, and significant reductions in height growth. When seedling roots grew through T. harzianum-inoculated medium before growing into a mixture of T. harzianum-F. oxysporum-inoculated medium, mortality was reduced about 50%. Although contamination by resident Fusarium occurred, subsequent root colonization was significantly reduced in T. harzianum-amended growing medium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Research Nursery, Department of Forest Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-1137, USA

    Mark R. Mousseaux, R. Kasten Dumroese & David L. Wenny

  2. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, Coeur d'Alene, ID, USA

    Robert L. James

  3. Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA

    Guy R. Knudsen

Authors
  1. Mark R. Mousseaux
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  2. R. Kasten Dumroese
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  3. Robert L. James
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  4. David L. Wenny
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  5. Guy R. Knudsen
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Mousseaux, M.R., Dumroese, R.K., James, R.L. et al. Efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum as a biological control of Fusarium oxysporum in container-grown Douglas-fir seedlings. New Forests 15, 11–21 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006512519895

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