Evaluation of the shelf-life of biocontrol agents enhanced with additives for use in tomato cultivation

DOI: 10.22161/ijeab.106.12

Abstract:
This study investigated the shelf life of biocontrol agents amended with additives and their efficacy were evaluated on growth parameters and wilt incidence in tomato. Under in vitro conditions 13 biocontrol agents were evaluated for their efficacy against Ralstonia solanacearum using the agar well diffusion technique and it was observed that Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf 3) and T. koningii (DMA -8) were most effective in inhibiting the growth of R. solanacearum. Talc based formulations were prepared for biocontrol agents and it was observed that treatments with 2 per cent tryptone and 2 per cent peptone supplemented with 2 per cent glycerol enhanced the shelf life of Pf 3 and treatments with 2 per cent yeast extract and tryptone supplemented with 2 per cent glycerol increased the shelf life of Bacillus spp. (Bc) in the formulation. Biocontrol formulations were also evaluated in the greenhouse and their effect was studied on the wilt incidence and growth parameters. It was revealed that the combined application of Bc1+Pf 3 enriched with 2 kg FYM significantly reduced the wilt incidence and R. solanacearum population density and also increased the shoot length, number of branches/plants, number of fruits/plant and yield of tomato.

Keywords:
Biocontrol agents, shelf life, Tomato and talc based formulations

Article Info:
Received: 27 Oct 2025; Received in revised form: 25 Nov 2025; Accepted: 03 Dec 2025; Available online: 11 Dec 2025

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