VIEW ARTICLE

A System for the Growth and Delivery of Biological Control Agents to the Soil. P. A. Backman, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Auburn University, Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, AL 36830; R. Rodriguez-Kabana, Associate Professor, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Auburn University, Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, AL 36830. Phytopathology 65:819-821. Accepted for publication 10 March 1975. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-65-819.

A diatomaceous earth granule impregnated with a 10% molasses solution was found suitable for growth and delivery of Trichoderma harzianum to peanut fields. Trichoderma was grown on the sterile granules for 4 days and applied 70 and 100 days after planting. Significant reductions (P≤ 0.01) in Sclerotium rolfsii damage and increases in yield were recorded over the 3-year test period. Disease control using 140 kg/hectare Trichoderma granules per hectare was equivalent to that achieved using 10% PCNB granules at 112 kg/ha. The biological control granule system has the advantages of low bulk, no residues, and applicability to other pathogen-antagonist systems.