Ahmad (1988) reviewed research on different sunflower rots in Pakistan.

Six rots including,

charcoal rot, head rot, stalk rot, collar rot, black rot and bacterial rot are known to exist. Among

these, charcoal is considered the most prevalent. Charcoal rot of sunflower was reported for the

first time from Faisalabad and later from other areas of Punjab (Sindh and NWFP provinces) as a

threat to sunflower (Mirza and Beg, 1983; Steven et al., 1987).

Macrophomina phaseolina infection on sunflower was first reported from Sri Lanka in 1927, It

was then reported from Uruguay, Australia and Yugoslavia in1966 Argentina and Senegal

(1967), Hungary (1970), USA (1971),India (1973), France, 1976, Egypt (1980) and Pakistan,

1982 (Bhutta, 1997). The fungus is reported to be soil, seed and stubble borne. The evidence

suggests that it is primarily a root inhibiting fungus and produces tuber or cushion shaped 1-8

mm diameter black sclerotia. These sclerotia serve as a primary means of survival (Smith, 1969;

Mirza, 1984; Kaisar et al., 1988). Until now more than 25 diseases have been reported on

sunflower in China (Xiang et al., 1988). Alternaria helianthi, Orobanche coerulescens,

Sclerotinia sclerotium and Septoria helianthi cause 10-15% yield losses. Madjidiech, (1988)

reported 20-50% losses due to Plasmopara helianthi on sunflower in Iran. Masirvic et al. (1987)

reported eleven diseases of sunflower from Punjab, Sindh and NWFP provinces.

(Munir et al., 2013) suggested that the agriculture field is effected by different plant diseases

control method and chemical pesticides, pollution, global warming to decease the soil fertility. In

biocontrol activity, different types of biological control agent are involved such as fungi and

bacteria. Among them, different Trichoderma spp plays an important role in controlling the

fungal plant diseases by producing different kind of enzyme which have significant role in the

biological control activity against the plant pathogens like cell wall degradation and essential

plant pathogen
(Khaledi and Taheri, 2016) performed the most destructive diseases of crops such as soyabean

charcoal rot which is caused by Macrophomina phaseolina throughout the world. It was

investigated in this study that Trichoderma sp isolates against M. phaseolina by using screening

method. In vitro, the best growth inhibitor of M. phaseolina is Trichoderma harzianum

(including isolates T7 and T14). The diseases severity in seed treatment with T. harzianum was

significant lower than that the soil treatment in the green house condition. The result was

suggested that the inhibitory effect of T. harzianum on soyabean and sunflower plant rot and

plant response activity against growth pathogen (Khaledi and Taheri, 2016).

(Sood, 2020) investigate the Trichoderma is successful avirulent plant pathogen organism, low

cost, most effective ,eco-friendly biocontrol agent, antagonism antibodies, mycoparasitism and

have minimum effect on plant soil equilibrium. The symbiotic relationship in plants to resistance

plant pathogens and increase the soil fertility, absorption of nutrients in soil by different

biocontrol mechanism for crops (Sood et al., 2020).

The ability of Trichoderma isolates to inhibit the mycelial growth of M. phaseolina in dual

culture was determined on PDA medium. Dual culture plate technique was used to study the

antagonistic effects of the Trichoderma isolates on M. phaseolina observing the zone of

inhibition at the point of pathogen and the antagonist and measuring their colony diameter on the

third and fifth day after inoculation, served as an indicator of their in vitro biocontrol activity.

The T. harzianum and T. viride isolates were better potential control agents against M.

phaseolina in vitro. The present work of in vitro plate assays showed that T. harzianum and T.

viride is more effective in suppressing the growth of M. phaseolina (Patel and Anahosur, 2001).
Balasubramanian, 2003 investigated that T. harzianum enhanced rice and tomato shoot weight

and plant length. R. solani infection was completely inhibited by T. harzianum (Malik et al.,

2005). During the present studies maximum plant length and plant weight was recorded in T.

harzianum + M. phaseolina treated plants compared to M. phaseolina. The growth of sunflower

plants in the T. harzianum, T. viride, T. harzianum + M. phaseolina, T. viride + M. phaseolina

was greater than for M. phaseolina alone and demonstrated the best result in the control of

charcoal rot in sunflower. T. harzianum significantly suppressed the infection of M. phaseolina

on sunflower which is accordance with the findings of who observed that T. harzianum was

highly effective in suppressing M.phaseolina on ginger rhizomes and on several vegetables in

storage.

According to (Harman, 2006; Yedidia et al., 2003) Trichoderma spp. attacked on other plant

pathogenic fungi and promotes the plant and root growth. It uses different mechanisms for the

control of plant pathogenic pathogens including antibiosis, mycoparasitism, the induced

resistance of host cell and competition for nutrient and space. Species of Trichoderma can

control and antagonize broad range of economically important postharvest phytopathogenic

fungal pathogens and plant-pathogenic fungi as well as also control bacteria and viruses.

Aslam et al. (2010) compared cellulase activity of Trichoderma spp. and different fermented

media with carbon sources for the production of cellulase. Trichoderma exhibited maximum

mycelial growth on glucose culture but no production of cellulase enzyme was observed.

Macroscopic characteristic like mycelial growth and development rate of Trichoderma spp. on

yeast complete medium (YCM) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) adjusted with sodium hydroxide

(SQ) and industrial chemical products (PQIND) at approximately 7, 9 and 11 pH and resulted

that development rate of T. viride strain CP-50 and Pleurotus ostreatus strain CP-T4 at pH 11.2
were 0.41 mm/day and 6.10 mm/day respectively. T. viride development and growth rate was

negative in an alkaline medium (Romero-Arenas et al., 2012). Compared mycelial growth,

biomass yield and conidia production of T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum and T. viride checked

on different nutrient media including PDA, Waksman Agar, Agar Agar, Corn Meal Agar,

Czepak’s Agar and tested their efficacy by dual culture technique against seed borne pathogens

such as Alternaria alternata, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium moniliforme, F. oxysporum,

F. solani and Rhizoctonia solani. Maximum mycelial growth inhibition of these pathogenic fungi

was noted by T. harzianum and PDA medium was the best for biomass and spore production of

Trichoderma species (Mustafa et al., 2009).

Da Silva et al. (2012) evaluated temperature and pH effects on Trichoderma spp. like T.

harzianum, T. polysporum, T. koningii and T. viride for chitosanase production under solid state

fermentation. T. viride, T. harzianum and T. polysporum, T. koningii showed optimum

chitosanase activity at 5.0 and 5.5 pH respectively with maximum chitosanase with enzymes

production about 1.4 IU/gds from T. polysporum followed by T. viride (~1.2 IU/gds) and T.

harzianum (1.06 IU/gds). Temperature between ranges of 40-50 ºC did not affect the activity of

the enzyme.

(Oda et al., in 2009) mentioned that not only enzymes but also metabolites of Trichoderma

species are used as additives. One of the products isolated from T. viride is a chemical with

characteristic coconut-like aroma, a 6- pentyl-α-pyrone with antibiotic properties, the production

of which was constantly improved to reach concentrations of more than 7 g/L in extractive

fermentation cultures in T. atroviride nowadays.

(Yamen et al., 2020) investigated that the best statergy has been for suitable agriculture for

controlling agriculture pest with the help of biological control agent. The worldwide annual

reduction in yield (30%to 50%) that responsible M.phaseolina necrotrophobic fungi lead to

charcoal rots diseases in soyabean and sunflower plant. In vitro screening, five bacteria strain

were isolated from soil sample which promote the plant growth and antagonistic activities. Only

two strain of bacteria P.putida and B.clausii out of all tested strain of bacteria to prove more

significant for plant growth parameters as well as to increase in water relative content

photosynthesis pigments, phytochrome content, salicyclic acid and Jasmine respectively in

comparison to control plant. These two strain are most effective cost, eco-friendly to explore

field testing and leading to suppresser by these strain.

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diseases in China. Proceedings of 12th International Sunflower conference, NOVISAD,

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