Zahra Irsoleimaniand, Reza Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa,
Volume 1, Issue 1 (3-2012)
Abstract
The importance of plant protection in modern agriculture increases as crop yields and concerns about production quality rise. Plant protection should be sufficiently effective, affordable and considerate of the environment. The integration of biological and chemical control has a potential for success because of a possible synergistic effects. It is necessary to look for organisms suitable for use in biological control, and in order to study the mechanisms of their action and the optimal conditions for incorporating such agents in plant protection and integrated management systems. One of such microorganisms is PythiumoligandrumDrechslerthatbelongs to the phylumOomycetes. This soil-resident saprophytic microorganism can be parasitic and hyperparasitic on many fungi within the same or other classes. The antagonistic activity of P. oligandrumis a multifaceted process which depends on the target species involved. P. oligandrumis nonpathogenic on 12 species of crops that belong to six families. It occurs on the root surface together with plant pathogenic fungi, predominantly in the regions of hypocotyl – taproot without penetrating the plant tissues. The plant growth is reportedly stimulated by this species. P. oligandrum can be utilized for biological control on a wide spectrum of crop plants. Different methods of application have been developed. The most effective activity of this microorganism is the mycelial growth inhibition of the plant pathogenic fungi.
