OAR@ICRISATMolecular diversity in Trichoderma isolates with potential for biocontrol of Aspergillus flavus infection in groundnutVAnjaiahauthorR PThakurauthorV PRaoauthorThe species of the genus Trichoderma are known to be potential biocontrol agents for several soilborne plant pathogens (Papavizas 1985). During the past two years we have identified several Trichoderma isolates that have shown strong antagonism to Aspergillus flavus infecting groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and some of these isolates have been used as potential biocontrol agents in greenhouse and field experiments (Desai et al. 2000, Anjaiah el al., in press). One of the mechanisms of biocontrol of plant pathogens with Trichoderma is known as mycoparasitism where Trichoderma recognizes and attaches to the pathogenic fungus and begins to excrete extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, such as chitinases, fc-1,3-glucanses, proteases, and lipases. These enzymes act on the cell walls of the fungi and thus cause lysis. Trichoderma spp are difficult to distinguish morphologically (Bissett 1991), and it is not yet well known whether the ability for biocontrol is a general property of the genus Trichoderma or a specific attribute of some species only. The molecular diversity among the species will help in characterizing the isolates for different modes of biocontrol ability and their deployment for effective control of plant pathogens. Using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting we studied genetic diversity in 17 Trichoderma isolates belonging to different species used in biocontrol of A. flavus infection in groundnut. The in vitro antagonistic characteristics of these isolates were reported earlier (Desai et al. 2000).Groundnut2001International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid TropicsArticle

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