Potentials of Trichoderma Asperellum as a Soil Treatment Agent in the Cultivation of Pepper Seed

ABSTRACT The study investigates the potential Trichoderma asperellum as a soil treatment agent in the cultivation of pepper seeds. Average measurement of the plants were taken weekly for the number of leaves and height of plants. Better growth was recorded for the plants on soil treated with Trichoderma than the untreated soil. At the end of the 7th weeks, the average shoot height of the treated soil with Trichoderma was 21.8±4.7, while that of untreated soil was 12.5±3.0. Average number of leaves was 39.6±10.0 while that untreated was 25.0±3.4. It was observed that pepper seeds treated with Trichoderma asperellum increased by 74% in plant height, and 58% in leaves. These result demonstrated that Trichoderma asperellum improved plant growth with increased height and number of leaves compared to the untreated soil thus it can be used as biofertilizer. KEY WORDS: Pepper seeds, Trichoderma asperellum, soil treatment, biocontrol.