Coconut water amended coirpith - a conductive medium for mass multiplication of bio control agent Trichoderma spp.

Abstract

Exploitation and recycling of naturally available agricultural waste is an important component of sustainable disease management.In the present we have used the commonly available agricultural waste media such as coirpith and coconut water as growth and carrier mediuym for multiplicatuion of fungal biocontrol agent Trichoderma spp,,The raw coiurpith was decomposed for two months usuing pleurotus platus and urea.In order to study the poliferation and population dynamics of trichoderma ,three strains of trichoderma viz,T.viride,T.viride albino mutant and T.harjanum p26 were used,partlydecomposed and sterilized coconut coirpith, the population of trichoderma increased dramatically from10^4 colony formings units (cfu) to 10 raise to 10^7 cfu per gram of coiurpith in 10 days .however the population decreased in un-sterilised coconut coirpith and got stabilized at 10^4 cfu per gram of coirpith after 50 days of growth.when the coirpith was enriched with coconut water ,the multiplication of Trichoderma was Observed in both sterilized and uynsterilized medium .Thge increase in Trichoderma population was 10^3 cfu per gram to 10^2 cfu performed to know the effect of coir extract (aqueous extract)on multiplication of Trichoderma.There was no significant change in the population of Trichoderma in extract/liquid coir extract throughout the incubation period .Exponential multiplication in coirpith medium could be due to versatile nature of trichoderma for carbon nutrient and also due to major and mior nutrients.available in coir compost.From the results it is clear that coconut water +coirpith medium could be exploited for mass multiplication of trichoderma for management of soil borne diseplantation crops.