**Biological Control of** *Fusarium oxysporum* **in Tomato Seedling Production with Mexican Strains of** *Trichoderma* **Biological Control of** *Fusarium oxysporum* **in Tomato Seedling Production with Mexican Strains of**  *Trichoderma*

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.72878

Omar Romero Arenas, Jesús Francisco López Olguín, Dionicio Juárez Ramón, Dora Ma. Sangerman-Jarquín, Conrado Parraguirre Lezama, Primo Sánchez Morales and Manuel Huerta Lara Omar Romero Arenas, Jesús Francisco López Olguín, Dionicio Juárez Ramón, Dora Ma. Sangerman-Jarquín, Conrado Parraguirre Lezama, Primo Sánchez Morales and Manuel Huerta Lara Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72878

#### **Abstract**

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154 Fusarium - Plant Diseases, Pathogen Diversity, Genetic Diversity, Resistance and Molecular Markers

nology Association. 2001;75:1-5

115-122

The problems and limitations of the control of diseases caused by phytopathogens through the use of fungicides, make the biological control present as an alternative method in the production of tomato plants in greenhouse, which is limited by the incidence of *Fusarium oxysporum* Schlechtend.:Fr., being the most worldwide destructive disease. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of three Mexican strains of the genus *Trichoderma* against *F. oxysporum* on the production of tomato seedlings under greenhouse conditions, as well as to determine the antagonistic effect of the strains used. The *Trichoderma harzianum* strain had the highest antagonistic activity (81.50%) and the highest growth rate (1.25 cm/day), proving to be the most aggressive strain to control *F. oxysporum*. in addition the results of the interaction of the dual cultures paired, presented a visible overgrowth zone with hyphae of *Trichoderma* spp. Seeds inoculated with *T. harzianum* showed a survival of 84% and a mortality of 16%, lower than the control group, which present a mortality of 58%; however, the treatment inoculated with *F. oxysporum* had the highest incidence of "disease" with 83%, the lowest survival (17%) and a decrease of the green biomass with respect to the control.

**Keywords:** antagonistic, greenhouse, phytopathogen, incidence, mortality
