Effects of seed treatments with trichoderma harzianum on wheat root rot disease caused by Fusarium culmorum

The effect of seed treatment with Trichoderma harzianum isolate (TRIC8) on seedling development, pre-emergence damping-off, root and crown rot on wheat in the case of sterilized soil inoculation with Fusarium culmorum at different periods was determined under controlled conditions in this study. The sensitive wheat cultivar Flamura 85, a virulent isolate S-14 and a fungicide with active ingredient of Pyraclostrobin + Triticonazole were through the experiments for comparison. TRIC8 had not any negative effect on seedling development when it was used alone as seed treatment. The highest increases in length, fresh and dry weight of shoots were obtained in plants developed from TRIC8 treated seeds 3 days after pathogen inoculation, although the emergence of seedling was reduced at a low rate. The pre-emergence damping-off was inhibited at the rates of 53.73% and 54.55% in this treatment and simultaneous treatment as the pathogen, respectively, and the rate of crown rot was similar to that of seedlings developed from fungicide treated seeds. There was not enough disease for evaluation when TRIC8 treated seeds were sown before inoculation of the pathogen to the soil and this application did not promote plant growth. The results obtained show that TRIC8 can be use in less infested soils with pathogen and TRIC8 promotes plant growth as a result of the pathogen elicitation.