Ranjana Rawal

PhD Overview

My study evaluated the ability of novel isolates from several species of Trichoderma, primarily native to different agroecological regions in Nepal, to improve growth in different tomato genotypes exposed to water deficit stress conditions. The forty-four Trichoderma isolates from Nepal, Ohio, and commercial sources were evaluated for their potential to thrive in low moisture environments. Twelve isolates were selected based on their desiccation tolerance capacity and further evaluated for their potential to elicit water stress tolerance in greenhouse-grown ‘Roma Organic’ tomatoes. Further, the stress-reducing efficacy of isolates Trichoderma asperelloides-NT33, Trichoderma asperellum-NT16, Trichoderma asperelloides-NT3, and commercial Trichoderma harzianum-T22 was tested on tomato genotypes [‘Roma Organic’, ‘Jaune Flamme’, and ‘Punta Banda’] with differing tolerance to drought. The inoculation with NT33 significantly increased the plant growth and photosynthetic parameters in drought susceptible genotypes ‘Roma Organic’ and ‘Jaune Flamme’ compared to the non-inoculated control plants under water deficit stress.