Biological control of root rot caused by Armillaria fungi

The aim of the study is to evaluate the prospects for using Siberian strains of macro- and microscopic fungi for biological control of the root pathogen Armillaria borealis, which is the most common causative agent of root rot from the Armillaria mellea sensu lato complex in Central Siberia. In vitro, the prospects for using ascomycete (Trichoderma asperellum) and basidiomycete (Ganoderma lucidum, Fomitopsis pinicola) fungi to limit the growth of armillaria pathogens were demonstrated. The K6-15 T. asperellum strain has the maximum antifungal activity, quickly and effectively inhibiting the growth of A. borealis on agar medium and plant substrate - up to 67 and 50 % growth inhibition, respectively. When the mycelium of the antagonist and phytopathogens comes into contact on both types of nutrient substrates, the interaction reaction is assessed at 4 (the antagonist grows around the colony of the phytopathogen) and 5 (the antagonist continues to grow at an unchanged rate over the colony of the phytopathogen) points. Strain K6-15 also exhibits high mycoparasitic activity (3 points), colonizing 100 % of the area of the mycelial film of A. borealis within 7-8 days of cultivation. Fast-growing saprotrophic basidiomycetes G. lucidum and F. pinicola can be considered as promising biocontrol agents. The studied strains Fp5-15 and Gl5-16 are capable of parasitizing on the mycelial film of A. borealis (fouling area of 100 % within 12-14 days); their antifungal activity is maximal on the plant substrate (52-54 % inhibition of the growth of the phytopathogenic fungus) and exceeds the indicator of strain K6-15 T. asperellum, and the reaction of interaction in the contact zone with the colony of phytopathogens is estimated at 5 points.