Biological control of foot rot (Phytophthora capsici Leonian) disease in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) with rhizospheric microorganisms

Abstract

Foot rot disease, also known as “quick wilt” caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) often leads to mortality of the infected plants. No cultivated variety is completely resistant, though a few varieties show field tolerance. Plants in all growth stages are susceptible to the disease and the loss incurred will be huge when the plants die. Copper-based fungicides are mainly used for managing foot rot incidence in commercial plantations. Now-a-days organic black pepper has high demand in the consumer markets worldwide. Though fungicides such as copper hydroxide and copper oxychloride are permitted to be used in a restricted scale in organic agriculture, it is always advisable to avoid them as far as possible. Biological control using beneficial and antagonistic rhizospheric microorganisms is a promising alternative for controlling foot rot incidence. Both fungal and bacterial antagonists are used as biological control agents against the disease, and important among them are Trichoderma spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens isolates. Biological control with rhizospheric microbial agents when combined with good agricultural practices, including phyto-sanitation, have shown promising results in managing the foot rot disease. Most of the rhizospheric antagonists act as plant growth promoters also. A review on the attempts made on the biological control of foot rot disease with rhizospheric microbial agents is presented here