The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the bioprotection of ash gourd (Benincasa hispida) against damping off disease

This experiment was aimed to determine the disease suppressive effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to control the damping off disease of ash gourd (Benincasa hispida) seedlings caused by Sclerotium rolfsii, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani. The virulent strains of S. rolfsii, F. oxysporum and R. solani were isolated before setting the experiment for integration of arbuscular mycorrhiza with ash gourd. Arbuscular mycorrhiza was collected from the rhizosphere of trap crop sorghum. Seedlings inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhiza had significantly lower incidence (p