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Trichoderma Biofungicide for vegetables

Rice Technology Bulletin Series

No.1 Released Rice Varieties (1968-1994)2 Pagpaparami at Pagpupuro ng Binhi sa Sariling Bukid3 Paggawa ng Maligaya Rice Hull Stove4 PhilRice Micromill5 PhilRice Flourmill6 PhilRice Drumseeder7 PhilRice Rototiller8 Rice Food Products9 PhilRice-UAF Batch Dryer10 Integrated Management of the Malayan Black Bug11 SG800 Rice Stripper-Harvester 12 Dry-Seeded Rice-Based Cropping Technologies13 Maligaya Rice Hull Stove14 10 Steps in Compost Production15 Rice Tungro Virus Disease16 The Philippine Rice Seed Industry and The National Rice Seed Production Network17 10 Hakbang sa Paggawa ng Kompost18 10 nga Addang ti Panagaramid iti Kompost19 Characteristics of Popular Philippine Rice Varieties20 Rice Stem Borers in the Philippines21 Rice Food Products (revised edition)22 Leaf Color Chart (English)23 Leaf Color Chart (Ilocano)24 Leaf Color Chart (Filipino)25 Equipment for Rice Production and Processing26 Useof40kgCertifiedSeedsperHectare27 Rice Wine28 Management of Field Rats29 Controlled Irrigation: Saving water while having good yield30 Minus-one Element Technique: Soilnutritiondeficiencytestmadeeasy31 Management of the Rice Black Bug

32 ManagementofZinc-deficientSoils33 Management Options for the Golden Apple Snail34 Use of Evaporation Suppressant35 Pagpaparami ng Purong Binhi ng Palay36 ManagementofSulfur-Deficient Lowland Rice Soils37 Management of Planthoppers and Leafhoppers38 ManagementOptionsforRicefieldWeeds39 Use of Indigo as Green Manure40 Management of Salt-affected Soils for Rice Production41 Wet-Seeded Rice Production42 Matatag Lines43 Hybrid Rice Seed Production44 Metarhizium anisopliae: Microbial Control Agent for Rice Black Bug45 Integrated Nutrient Management for Rice Production46 Management of Armyworms/Cutworms47 Carbonized Rice Hull48 Rice-based Microbial Inoculant49 Integrated Farm and Household Waste Management50 Rice Postproduction Practices51 Ecological Rice Farming52ModifiedDryDirectSeedingTechnology53 Palayamanan: Making the Most out of Rice Farms 54 Practical Guidelines in Predicting Soil Fertility Status of Lowland Rice Soils55 Bakanae: The Foolish Disease of Rice56 Management of Rice Blast Disease57 Root-knot Management in Rice-Onion Cropping System58 Management of Yellow and White Stemborers59 The PhilRice Dapog Technology60 Rice Straw-Based Nutrient Management in Irrigated Lowland Rice61 Biofertilizer Production: Vesicualr Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM)

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Foreword

The soaring prices of farm inputs remain a constraint in vegetable production. Inspite of high costs, farmers still buy them to avoid crop losses from fungal diseases.

Hence, biological, environment-friendly, and low-cost methods of managing diseases have been studied to save on input costs. This study was funded by the Integrated Pest Management-Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM-CRSP) and the Philippine Rice Research Insitute (PhilRice).

Trichoderma sp., for one, is a biological fungicide or biofungicide. Itisabeneficialmicroorganismdisplayingantagonismagainstotherpathogenic fungi. It attacks and controls disease-causing organisms in onion and other vegetable crops in the rice-based cropping system. It serves as the roots’ shield against harmful fungi. Biofungicide is a preventive measure for fungal diseases.

This technology aims to reduce crop losses and production cost, and increase crop marketability and farmers’ income. Trichoderma sp. was tested in several sites in the Philippines.

This technologybulletin contains informationon thebenefitsof Trichoderma sp. and procedures in Trichoderma sp. production and application to effectively manage vegetable crop diseases. It is hoped that through this publication, we can encourage farmers to venture in the economically-effective production of Trichoderma sp. for long-term crop protection.

RONILO A. BERONIO Executive Director

2

Trichoderma sp.isabeneficialfungus that serves as a biologi-cal control agent for soil-borne plant pathogens such as the fungi Sclerotium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, and Colletotrichum gloeo-sporoides.

This fungus grows rapidly on many substrates enhancing plant and root growth; thus, providing yield increases.

Trichoderma sp. (IPM-CRSP isolate)

Conidiophores (A) and spores (B) of Trichoderma sp.

Important characteristics

Trichoderma sp. protects plants against disease-causing organisms found in soil. It attacks harmful organisms by coiling its mycelia (tentacle-like structures) around them. This mechanism is called ‘mycoparasitism’.

Trichoderma ‘s mycelia (A) coil around the tentacle-like structures (B) of the harmful organism.

A

AB

B

3

Trichoderma sp. is a highly competitive soil-borne fungus. It competes with harmful organisms for space and food released by the plants’ roots. It produces antibiotics and secretes enzymes that cause the thinning of the harmful organ-ism’s mycelia.

Holes (A) in the mycelia of the harmful organisms

Advantages of using Trichoderma sp.

ɶ Prevents soil-borne diseases.

ɶ Environment-friendly as it does not leave any chemical residue on crops.

ɶ Reduces the amount of chemical fungicides; thus, lessening input cost.

A

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Trichoderma sp. production

Materials:

1. Cracked corn

2. Polypropelene bag (5x8”, 0.3 thick)

3. Rubber band

4. Water

5. Big cooking pot

6. Steamer or autoclave

Method:

1. Wash the corn until completely cleaned.

2. Boil corn for 20-30 minutes until half-cooked.

7. Pail or basin

8. Stove

9. Firewood or gas

10. Screen

11. Trichoderma sp. (IPM-CRSP isolate)

12. Mask and gloves

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3. Wash the boiled corn until cool.

4. Spread out the corn on a screen to drain.

5. Put 100 grams of boiled corn inside the plastic bag. Release the air in-side the plastic bag and tie with a rubber band.

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6. Put the packed corn inside the steamer or autoclave.

7. Steam the packed corn for two hours with steam-er or for 15 minutes with autoclave.

8. Remove the packed corn from the steamer or autocalve and allow the corn to cool.

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9. Wear a mask that covers both nose and mouth or refrain from talking to avoid contamination. Inoculate corn grits with Trichoderma sp.

10. Place the corn on shelves or boxes. Incubate for 10-12 days.

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11. After 3-5 days, whitish features on the corn are observed. These are the mycelia of the Trichoder-ma sp.

12. After 1-2 weeks, the corn will turn green as spores of the Trichoderma sp. are produced.

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13. Remove the corn from the plastic bag. Before spreading out the corn, put a clean manila paper or newspaper inside the box. Cover the box with paper or net to preventitfromflies.

14. Air-dry the corn until completely dried.

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Trichoderma sp. products

Put the Trichoderma product inside the plastic bag. Store it in a cold place (e.g. refrigerator).

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Prepare the Trichoderma solution. For every 16 liters of water, mix 10-15 grams of Trichoderma sp. Dislodge the spores in the water.

1. In the seedbed:

Spray the Trichoderma solution before or after sowing seeds.

Trichoderma solution can also be sprayed on the seedbed before or after irrigation.

If withered seedlings are observed, spray the Trichoderma solution im-mediately to prevent the spread of disease.

Repeat application at 7-14 days interval or as needed.

2. During transplanting:

Before transplanting, dip the seedlings’ roots into the Trichoderma solution for 5-10 minutes.

If early signs of anthracnose are observed, spray Trichoderma solution to prevent the spread of disease.

Onion applied with fungicide Onion applied with Trichoderma sp.

Trichoderma sp. application

Effect of VAM on onion with damping-off

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Diseases prevented

damping-off

anthracnose

bulb rot pink root

damping-offstem rot

Onio

nsTo

mat

oes

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The initial cost of production for every 20 kg of the Trichoderma sp. product is around P3,294.50 (Table 1). This includes semi-permanent equipment such as steamer, plas-ticbasin,bigpot,andfiberglassscreen.However,thesucceedingproductionwillonlycostP887(materialsandlabor).Thisexcludesthecostoftheequipmentuntilthefifthyear of production. There will be 1,320 packs from the 20 kg production. If the product is sold at P5 a pack (a very cheap estimate), the total income will be P6,600 with a netincomeofP3,304.50forthefirstyearandP5,713forthesucceedingfiveyearsofproduction.

Table 1. Estimated cost of production

Cost of Production (for every 20 kg product)Materials Amount/Time (1st year)

Cost (P)(2nd to 5th year)

Cost (P)Corn 20 kg x P20/kg 400 400Plastic bag 400 pcs x P28/100 112 112Rubber band 6 boxes x P5/box 30 30Manila paper 5 pcs x P5/pc 25 25Packaging plastic bag

4 x P5/pck 20 20

Subtotal 587 587Equipment

Steamer for 5 yrs 1200Big plastic basin for 1 yr 200Big pot for 5 yrs 1000Fiberglass screen 3 m x P2.50/m 7.50

Subtotal 2,407.50 0Labor 2 pax x 2 md @

P150/day300.00 300.00

TOTAL 3,294.50 887Net Income 3,304.50 5,713

Based on the above computation, the production of Trichoderma sp. is highlyprofitable.

Profitability

damping-off

anthracnose

NOTES

14

Subject Matter Specialists

PhilRice

Herminia R. Rapusas

Jun M. Ramos

Salvacion E. Santiago

Dindo King M. Donayre

Biotech, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Marilyn B. Brown, Ph.D.

Managing Editor/Desktop Artist

Hanah Hazel Mavi M. Biag

Editorial Advisers

Ronilo A. Beronio

Andrei B. Lanuza

Photo Credits:

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/trichoderma.html

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Biological_Chemistry/scientist/Chet/Chet.html

http:// nt.ars-grin.gov

For more information, text the Farmers’ Text Center (0920) 911-1398;

write, visit, or call:

Integrated Pest Management-Collaborative Research and Support Program Philippine Rice Research Institute Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija 3119 Tel. No. (044) 456-0285; -0113; -0651 local 221.

Readers are encouraged to reproduce the content of this bulletin with acknowledgment. Suggested citation:

PhilRice. “Trichoderma: Biofungicide for vegetables.” Rice Technology Bulletin No. 62: 18p., October 2009.

(DA) PL 480