-@D@-

ctossooJto lofooJlbollfotmls (llre cracker) whlch ls wldely used as a poLLed flowerlng

landscape planL ln Srl Lanka and also has a greaL demand from many Luropean and Aslan
counLrles Srl Lanka exporLs more Lhan 600000 c lofooJlbollfotmls rooLed cuLLlngs per annum
Cne of Lhe ma[or llmlLlng facLors of c lofooJlbollfotmls monoculLure ls wllL caused by l
oxyspotom 1hls ls one of Lhe mosL dlfflculL paLhogen Lo conLrol and lL causes desLrucLlon of Lhe
enLlre planL 1he dlsease can affecL Lhe crop aL any sLage of growLh CharacLerlsLlc sympLoms
are sudden drooplng of leaves and peLloles no exLernal roLLlng of rooLs black lnLernal
dlscoloraLlon lnvolvlng xylem and plLh 1he conLrol of l oxyspotom on c lofooJlbollfotmls ls
dlfflculL Lo achleve because Lhe long survlval of Lhe paLhogen ln Lhe soll as chlamydospores or
as a mycellum ln lnfecLed planL debrls 1he soll borne anLagonlsLlc fungl 1 vltlJe and 1
botzlooomhave been ldenLlfled as naLurally exlsLlng poLenLlal blologlcal agenL agalnsL l
oxyspotom (uubey et ol 2007 Shanmugam et ol 2008 Carcla et ol 1997) lL has been
suggesLed LhaL 1tlcboJetmo sp lsolaLed from Lhe rooL or rhlzosphere of a speclflc crop may be
beLLer adapLed Lo LhaL crop and be more effecLlve ln conLrolllng losotlom sp (8ubloerez et
ol 2008) 1he paLhogen ls soll borne and hence chemlcal conLrol ls uneconomlcal and cause
envlronmenL and groundwaLer polluLlon ln Lhe recenL years due Lo Lhe developmenL of
reslsLance ln Lhe paLhogen Lhe usage of chemlcal funglcldes proved Lo be less effecLlve ln Lhe
conLrol of losotlom sp (8eld et ol 2002) lurLher lL ls also reporLed LhaL LreaLmenLs wlLh
funglcldes have been lneffecLlve ln conLrolllng losotlom sp under conduclve condlLlon for
dlsease developmenL (lederlco et ol 2007) Pence Lhe need has arlsen Lo develop alLernaLlve
meLhods Lo conLrol Lhe dlsease and one such promlslng meLhod ls Lhe use of Lhe anLagonlsLlc
fungus 1tlcboJetmo (Cllardl et ol 2008)1tlcboJetmo sp are well documenLed as effecLlve
blologlcal conLrol agenLs of planL dlsease caused by boLh sollborne fungl and leafand frulL
lnfecLlng planL paLhogenlc fungl 1hese mycoparaslLes noL only have dlrecL effecL such as
proLecLlon agalnsL aLLack by dlfferenL planL paLhogens ln Lhe rhlzosphere buL also have a
sLlmulaLlng lnfluence on Lhe planL growLh and lnducLlon of defense responses (llan et ol 2009)
8ooL peneLraLlon ls achleved by secreLlon of cellulolyLlc and proLeolyLlc enzymes (llan et ol
2009)1tlcboJetmo specles are planL symblonL opporLunlsLlc vlrulenL organlsms able Lo
colonlze planL rooL by mechanlsms slmllar Lo Lhose of mycorrhlzal fungl 8ooL colonlzaLlon
by 1tlcboJetmo specles frequenLly enhances rooL growLh and developmenL crop producLlvlLy
reslsLance Lo abloLlc sLress and upLake and use of nuLrlenLs (Mukhopadhyay 2009) 8ooL
fungus assoclaLlon sLlmulaLes planL defense mechanlsm (Mukhopadhyay 2009)
ln Lhls lnvesLlgaLlon four local lsolaLes belonglng Lo Lwo specles of 1tlcboJetmo (1 vltlJe and 1
botzlooom) were evaluaLed agalnsL l oxyspotom