Biological Control of Damping Off and Root Rot of Wheat and Sugar Beet with Trichoderma harzianum

Fusarium nivale (Fries) Samules and Hallett, Fusarium graminearum (Schwabe) and Fusarium tricinctum (Corda) Sacc. caused damping off and root rot of wheat. Fusarium lateritium, (Nees) Fusarium xylarioides (Steyaert) and Fusarium camptocearas (Wollenw and Reinking.) caused damping off and root rot of sugar beet. Each of Trichoderma harzianum and its filtrate inhibited the growth of the entire tested Fusarium spp. In vitro treatment of either the seeds of Sads1 wheat or the seeds of Dempoloy sugar beet growing in the soil with T. harzianum decreased damping off and root rot severity of each wheat and sugar beet compared with untreated seeds and untreated soil with T. harzianum under greenhouse condition during growing seasons 2009 and 2010. T. harzianum increased the (shoot and root) seedling dry weight compared with seedling grown without bioagent. Disease reduced in seed coating method more than soil method.