In the master’s thesis we tested the efficiency of a biological product based on the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma asperellum against the verticillium wilt agent, Verticillium dahliae on bell pepper. Verticillium wilt is considered an economically important disease, primarily due to its wide host plant range and the long-living structures (microsclerotia) formed by the fungus V. dahliae in soil. We also tested the impact of biological product on certain morphological characteristics of pepper plants (fruit weight, fruit diameter and length, plant height, plant mass, root mass and plant branching). The experiment included 5 treatments: negative control (no biological product Trifender PRO and no V. dahliae), Verticillium control (inoculation with V. dahliae), biological product control (application of biological product Trifender PRO), treatment where pepper seedlings were first soaked in the biological product Trifender PRO and then inoculated with V. dahliae, and treatment where pepper seedlings were first inoculated with V. dahliae and then subsequently watered with the biological product Trifender PRO. We used biological product Trifender PRO at a 5 % concentration. We found that the biological product based on the fungus T. asperellum is effective in preventing infection by verticillium wilt. We also observed that the application method slightly affected its efficiency, as better results were achieved in the treatment where seedlings were pre-soaked in the biological product compared to the treatment where seedlings were watered with the biological product afterward. Biological product Trifender PRO also improved plant growth. The plants in control with the biological product were the tallest, had the largest plant mass, root mass and the highest yield compared to the plants in other treatments.
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