Impact of Trichoderma spp. on soybean seed germination and potential antagonistic effect on Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Trichoderma species have been registered as species with important plant growth promotingpotential and antagonistic effect against various phytopathogens. Trichoderma isolatesoriginating from different soil types from the Vojvodina region (Serbia) were screened usingdual culture test for their antagonistic effect against the pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Alltested isolates had high radial growth inhibition (RGI) factors of the pathogen and high colonizationpercentage. Growth promoting activity of Trichoderma isolates on soybean seeds wastested under glasshouse conditions. Soybean seeds were coated with suspensions of differentTrichoderma isolates and seed germination percentage, root and shoot length were measured.According to data analysed in Statistica 10, using Duncan’s test, there were no significanteffects on shoot length among the tested isolates, compared to the control. The four testedTrichoderma isolates showed significant positive effects on germination, root length and vigourindex, while two isolates exhibited no significant effect on any of the measured parameters