Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture (MJSA)

Ganoderma sp. causes serious disease, known as the Basal Stem Rot (BSR) to oil palm in Malaysia. Currentpractices for managing the BSR disease primarily involve sanitation measures, while the application offungicides is less cost-effective. The application of biocontrol agents, especially Trichoderma-based products,has been widely explored and shows great potential, although maintaining their population over an extendedperiod remains a challenge. Thus, the prospecting endophytic Trichoderma could be the new potentialbiocontrol agent against BSR disease. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of endophyticTrichoderma asperellum M103 and T. harzianum M108 against BSR disease by using a seed coating techniqueat the nursery stage. At the end of the study, both endophytic Trichoderma isolates M108 and M103 showedthe potential in suppressing the BSR disease at 67.78% and 71.11%, respectively of disease incidence (%DI),compared to the control at 87.78%. Overall, M103 demonstrated its effectiveness against BSR disease, assymptoms in inoculated oil palm seedlings appeared only after 4 months. Additionally, M103 achieved thelowest epidemic rate (ER) of 7.07 units month-1 and the smallest area under the disease progress curve(AUDPC) of 236.25 unit² over 11 months. These findings underscore the potential of endophytic Trichodermaas a viable biocontrol agent against BSR disease, offering a promising avenue for the sustainable diseasemanagement in oil palm cultivation.