Mass multiplication of Trichoderma asperellum on conifer needles and weed foliage

AbstractThe impact of hazard by chemical fungicides has necessitated the development of safe and eco-friendly bio-fungicides. Trichoderma asperellum is one of the potent biocontrol agents and for its cost-effectiveness large scale production on several agricultural and industrial wastes has been tested so far. Forest fire due to highly inflammable pine needles and invasion of weeds are considered as a major cause of biodiversity loss in forests of NW Himalaya. Therefore, in the present work, the potential of forest wastes like needles of five conifer species and foliage of three noxious weeds along with some commonly used substrates were evaluated for the mass production of T. asperellum. Amongst all the screened substrates, the highest spore count was recorded on Pinus roxburghii needle powder supplemented with yeast extract and potato dextrose broth. Therefore, authors recommend the use of P. roxburghii needles for the mass multiplication of Trichoderma species as a replacement for useful agro-wastes.Keywords: Conifer needleweedsTrichodermamass multiplicationsubstratesspore load per gram (SLPG) Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThe authors are thankful to National Authority Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), New Delhi for financial support “OM 13-30/2019/NA, dated 06/12/2019”.