Trichoderma as Fungal Biocontrol Agent — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2019Which of the following can be used as a biocontrol agent in the treatment of plant disease? (NEET 2019)
Which of the following can be used as a biocontrol agent in the treatment of plant disease? (NEET 2019)
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: D — Trichoderma
Trichoderma is a beneficial fungus used as biocontrol agent against various plant pathogens including Fusarium, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia. It works through multiple mechanisms - antibiosis (producing antifungal compounds), mycoparasitism (attacking pathogen hyphae), and competition for nutrients and space. NCERT mentions Trichoderma as important biocontrol agent in sustainable agriculture. Other options are not biocontrol agents - they are either beneficial bacteria or algae.
Read more NCERT concept on the PYQ
A biological control being developed for use in the treatment of plant disease is the fungus Trichoderma. Trichoderma species are free-living fungi that are very common in the root ecosystems. They are effective biocontrol agents of several plant pathogens.
Trichoderma is a free-living fungus used as a biological control agent to protect plants from pathogenic microorganisms. Students often confuse biocontrol agents with harmful fungi or antibiotics, mistakenly thinking Trichoderma damages plants rather than protects them. The key distinction is that Trichoderma acts antagonistically against plant pathogens in root ecosystems, making it beneficial. Remember: Trichoderma is a beneficial microbe, not a pathogen itself, and it's specifically associated with root zone protection. This is frequently tested because NEET emphasizes practical applications of microbes in agriculture and sustainable disease management.
What does NCERT say about biological control being developed?
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
Which chapter is this from?
Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.