Trichoderma erinaceum AND Trichoderma virens IN THE CONTROL OF Meloidogyne incognita IN Solanum lycopersicum

In this study, the antagonistic potential of Trichoderma erinaceum 10-15 and T. virens 32-09 against the nematode Meloidogyne incognita was evaluated in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants. A solution of 106 conidia mL-1 of each strain was inoculated on tomato plants, and the variables of nematode control, galling index, eggs per gram of root, and females per gram of root were determined. The in vitro antagonism of Trichoderma filtrates on the hatching of eggs and J2 juveniles of M. incognita was evaluated. The results were used for analysis of variance and comparison of means using the Tukey method (p ≤ 0.05). Control variables of the phytopathogen on S. lycopersicum were determined by measuring the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), the Weibull parameter, the coefficient of determination, and the final severity of root damage. T. erinaceum 10-15 showed a greater inhibitory effect on M. incognita, relative to T. virens 32-09. Both strains evaluated showed significant differences in comparison to the uninoculated control, resulting in a 60 % reduction in juvenile stage mobility and egg hatching, as well as greater control of the phytonematode in the AUDPC variables, Weibull parameter, and final severity under controlled conditions. The strain T. erinaceum 10-15 showed a better antagonistic effect on egg formation at 68 days, at 60.3 %, and on reducing the number of M. incognita females with at 60 days, at 80.6 %. Both T. erinaceum 10-15 and T. virens 32-09 were found to be potential biocontrol agents of M. incognita in S. lycopersicum.