Potential strain of trichoderma spp. to control damping off of disease in chilli.

The present investigation deals with the population of soil fungi in chilli field of Thiruvarur District. The antibiotic ability and potential strain of Trichoderma spp.isolated from chilli field soil were used against damping off disease and its tolerance to antibiotics. Among the soil fungi, tested Trichoderma spp. showed maximum activity in controlling the disease with influence of soil physico-chemical parameters. The antibiotic interactions of some soil fungi against Pythium debaryanum were studied in vitro dual culture experiments. All the Trichoderma spp. Showed the ability to inhibit the pathogen, some of the species showed variability in the percentage of inhibition were studied.