An investigation of biological control possibilities against Fusarium proliferatum on red pepper

Fusarium proliferatum causes yield loss in many agricultural crops. The chemicals used to control it bring problems due to phytotoxicity, residues, environmental pollution and harmful effects on human health. In recent years, the use of environmentally friendly control practices has increased due to the development of environmental and human health awareness. This study was carried out to determine antifungal activities of 52 candidate bioagent bacterial strains and two fungal isolates against F. proliferatum isolated from red pepper on petri plate assay. The activities of five bacterial strains and 2 fungal isolates that showed the highest inhibitory effect on F. proliferatum in in vitro were also determined in the dark at 25 ± 2 °C. In pot assay, the experiment was established with the most effective five bacterial strains (FDG-37, 70.63%; PM-18, 69.44%; Jumbo A, 66.07%; TV-13B, 64.00%; TV-15B, 60.71%) and two fungal isolates (ET 4 and ET 14, 74.35%). As a result, it was determined that Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas chlororaphis, Bacillus sp. and T. harzianum can be candidate in the biological control of F. proliferatum on red peppers.