Preliminary study on the effects of carbendazim on fungi isolated from crop soil samples obtained from Afe Babalola University and Ado-Ekiti farm

Fungi were isolated from five different soil samples of 5 crops obtained from Afe Babalola University, Ado -Ekiti farm on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and PDA supplemented with 1% chitin at 25 2 o C. Twenty-one (21) fungi were isolated and identified as Trichoderma viride, T. harzianium, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium digitatum and Epicoccum purpurascen. Four isolates were obtained from pawpaw (Carica papaya), five (5) from Moringa oleifera, five (5) from plantain (Musa parasidica), three (3) from garden egg (Solanum spp.) and four (4) from okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). The isolates were also screened qualitatively for chitinase on PDA amended with 2% chitin, 0.05% yeast extract and 0.01% congo red. None of the isolates showed any zone of clearance. The effect of a fungicide, carbendazim, at four different concentrations on the rate of growth of the isolates was determined. Trichoderma viride, T. harzianium, and Penicillium digitatum were able to grow on different concentration of carbendazim. However, A. niger, Epicoccum purpurascens were susceptible to carbendazim. This study shows that Trichoderma species were most resistant to the fungicide, and the lower the concentration, the higher the rate of growth. Therefore, T. viride and a lower concentration of carbendazim can be used in integrated pest management.