Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture (MJSA)

Legume crops such as lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans are vital for human nutrition and soil fertility, particularly in regions like Bangladesh. However, the yield of these crops is frequently impacted by diseases, with foot and root rot, attributed to Sclerotium rolfsii, being a prominent concern. Conventional control measures have limitations, prompting the exploration of alternative strategies. This study evaluated the efficacy of Trichoderma asperellum, focusing on a native isolate MBCT10, in controlling foot and root rot in lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans. Laboratory experiments demonstrated MBCT10’s ability to suppress the radial mycelial growth of S. rolfsii, confirmed through molecular characterization. Field experiments revealed that T. asperellum treatment significantly increased seed germination rates over control conditions for foot and root rot susceptible three legumes varieties, viz. Lentil var. Binamasur-6 by 6.50%, Chickpea var. Binachola-3 by 10.17%, and Soybean var. Binasoybean-2 by 64.79%, respectively. Additionally, T. asperellum decreased foot and root rot incidence compared to control at 60 days after sowing (DAS) by 26.42% for Binamasur-6, 49.80% for Binachola-3, and 34.84% for Binasoybean-2. Treated plots exhibited higher plant height, pods per plant, seed weight per plant, and dry plant weight per plant for all three crops. These findings underscore the potential of T. asperellum isolate MBCT10 as a sustainable and effective biocontrol agent for managing fungal diseases in legume crops, thereby promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices.