Vol. 12, Issue 1 (2023)

Author(s):
Gazala P, Ambika DS, Sangeetha CG, Shivapriya M, Meenakshi Sood and Chikkanna GS

Abstract:
Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of India's most important and widely grown vegetable crops. This crop is affected by a number of diseases, the most destructive of which is Fusarium wilt, which causes severe yield losses. An experiment was carried out to determine the fungal pathogen associated with Fusarium wilt disease of muskmelon, which was obtained from a field in the Kolar district of Karnataka. The obtained fungus is identified using morphological characteristics such as colony features, myceli and conidia, as well as molecular characterization utilising internal transcribe spacer (ITS) region of the fungus. ITS sequence of our studied fungus Fusarium solani was genetically 25.9% WW maximum mean inhibition of 97.74 percent similar to sequences of Fusarium solani in NCBI database. To confirm the pathogen pathogenicity test was conducted twenty days after inoculation symptoms was observed. Fifteen commercial fungicides and two bacterial, three fungal bio agents were evaluated against isolated fungus under in vitro condition, in which the highest percent inhibition of radial growth of the fungus was observed in tebuconazole 25.9% WW maximum mean inhibition of 97.74 percent and in bio control agents Trichoderma viride was found as the most suitable to control the growth of F. solani under laboratory conditions. However, further pot and field trials needed to be confirmed the bio-control potential of it.