PRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF CHITINASE BY TRICHODERMA HARZIANUM FOR CONTROL OF SCLEROTIUM ROLFSII

Trichoderma species are potent biological control agents against several plant pathogens. In the present study twenty isolates of Trichoderma were isolated and screened for their antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii. All the isolates were able to inhibit the S.rolfsii in vitro, but T7, T9, T10, T13 and T18 were superior antagonists compared to other isolates of Trichoderma. T10 isolate is used for the production and purification of chitinase, due to their high enzymatic activity when screened in the medium containing chitin as sole a carbon source. T10 isolate produced the chitinases with molecular mass of 74 kDa (N-acetylglucosaminidase) and 32 kDa (endochitinase).