Effect of Trichoderma harzianum on tacaco (Sechium tacaco) cuttings

Abstract

Objectives: to evaluate the effect of two doses of Trichoderma harzianum on the rooting and growth of tacaco (Sechium tacaco) cuttings. Methodology: secondary-shoot cuttings with at least three nodes were used. In the greenhouse establishment phase, a dose of 0.30mg of indole-butyric acid (IBA) per cutting was used. After reaching optimal rooting, we moved on to the acclimatization phase in a shade house, where treatments with doses of 5 and 10ml/l of the product Trichofos (T. harzianum, at 2.0 x 107 cfu/ml), and a control treatment with distilled water were applied via “drench” at 0, 7 and 15 days after transplanting. Results: The control obtained a significantly higher value of root dry weight (2,523.06mg/plant), compared to the treatments with 5 and 10ml/l of Trichofos (704.12 and 1175.21mg/plant, respectively). Regarding the concentration of T. harzianum in the substrate, significant differences were found between the control and the dose of 5ml/l of Trichofos (82.5 and 1,525cfu/g of T. harzianum, respectively). No significant differences were found between treatments for the other variables. In all treatments, the survival percentage of cuttings varied between 83-100%. Conclusions: The use of T. harzianum in the acclimatization process of tacaco cuttings is not recommended, until information is generated on its compatibility with other rhizospheric organisms. The acclimatization process of the plants was successful, according to the methodology used. This work constitutes the first published report on the effect of Trichoderma harzianum on Sechium tacaco.