Journal of Agronomy and Field Innovations

Soil-borne plant pathogens cause substantial agricultural yield losses globally, traditionally managed through the heavy application of synthetic fungicides. Due to the ecological degradation, human health risks, and development of pathogen resistance associated with chemical control, biological alternatives are urgently required. This study aimed to isolate, characterize, and evaluate indigenous isolates of Trichoderma asperellum for their antagonistic potential against three major soil-borne phytopathogens: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol), Rhizoctonia solani (Rs), and Sclerotium rolfsii (Sr). Five indigenous isolates (designated TA1 through TA5) were recovered from the rhizosphere of healthy tomato plants and identified using morphological traits and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. in vitro dual culture assays demonstrated that isolate TA3 exhibited the highest mycelial growth inhibition across all tested pathogens, achieving 78.4% inhibition against Rs. Assays for volatile and non-volatile metabolites further confirmed the superior antibiosis capacity of TA3. Subsequent in vivo greenhouse experiments on tomato plants revealed that soil application of TA3 significantly reduced disease incidence by up to 65.2% compared to untreated controls, while concurrently promoting plant growth metrics such as height and biomass. These findings suggest that the indigenous T. asperellum isolate TA3 is a highly effective, ecologically adapted biocontrol agent suitable for integrated disease management programs in local agro-ecosystems.