Due to increasing restrictions on the use of conventional plant protection products, biological preparations are becoming more popular in plant production as part of biocontrol, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative. Therefore, as part of a master's thesis, we tested the effectiveness of biological preparations based on beneficial microorganisms on the growth and yield of cucumber in a protected area. We selected three different microbial preparations: Trifender PRO (Trichoderma asperellum race T34), Prestop (Clonostachys rosea race J1446), and Polyversum (Pythium oligandrum race M1). In the experiment, we monitored the effect of the preparations on certain morphological parameters of the plants (weight, length and diameter of fruits, number of fruits per plant, height of the above-ground part, root weight). The experiment included seven treatments: control, and three treatments where the seedlings were soaked in a suspension of the preparations before planting: soaked POLY, soaked PRE, soaked TRI. This was followed by treatments - watering POLY, watering PRE, watering TRI - where the planted cucumber seedlings were watered with a suspension of the preparations. In our case, we did not observe any positive results of microbial preparations compared to the control. In almost all morphological parameters, the control treatment had the best results, while the TRI watering treatment had the worst. Deviations were mainly observed in the mass of the root system, which we attribute to a strong attack of root nematodes. In the middle of the season, the plants showed stunted growth, and necrosis and chlorosis appeared on the leaves, which consequently also affected fruit set. Variable temperature conditions during the experiment and a severe mite infestation at the end of the season probably also contributed to the poorer growth.
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