Abstract

                                A pot culture study was conducted to see the effect of organic and inorganic plant nutrients on the survival of Trichoderma in soil with tomato plants. How Trichoderma influences tomato plant growth is also assessed under different regimes of plant nutrients. Farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost, and NPK were used in different combinations to assess their effect. Among the treatments applied with plant nutrients, the population of Trichoderma was maximum at 15 DAS with NPK (39.31 × 104 cfu/g of soil) followed by FYM (26.41 × 104 cfu/g of soil) and vermicompost (23.33 × 104 cfu/g of soil). The highest mean plant height and the number of leaves at 60 DAS were observed in 50% NPK + 50% Vermicompost (50.50 cm and 47.83 respectively) followed by 50% NPK + 50% FYM (46.33 cm and 45.41 respectively). The highest mean number of branches and leaf area of tomato plants were observed with 50% NPK + 50% Vermicompost followed by 50% NPK + 50% FYM. The treatments incorporated with plant nutrients (FYM, Vermicompost, and NPK) showed a positive result on the growth parameters of the tomato plant.

Key words : Trichoderma; NPK; FYM; Vermicompost