Potensi Cendawan Endofit dalam Pengendalian Penyakit Hawar Malai Gandum (Helminthosporium sp.)

Abstract

Gandum merupakan salah satu tanaman serealia yang banyak digunakan sebagai makanan pokok di dunia. Penelitian mengenai produksi gandum di Indonesia masih dalam pengembangan. Salah satu kendala dalam pengembangan produksi gandum adalah adanya serangan patogen tanaman seperti Helminthosporium sp., yang dapat menyebabkan penyakit hawar malai gandum. Hawar malai gandum merupakan salah satu penyakit penting tanaman gandum yang terdapat di lahan pertanaman gandum, sehingga diperlukan pengendalian yang sesuai. Berbagai pengendalian telah dilakukan untuk menekan perkembangan serangan patogen Helminthosporium sp. pada gandum, tetapi belum menunjukkan hasil yang memuaskan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperoleh informasi mengenai potensi cendawan endofit sebagai alternatif pengendalian penyakit hawar malai gandum. Metode penelitian terdiri dari isolasi cendawan patogen Helminthosporium sp. dari benih gandum dan kajian pustaka mengenai potensi cendawan endofit sebagai agens biokontrol. Pemanfaatan cendawan endofit untuk pengendalian penyakit hawar malai gandum cukup menjanjikan dan diharapkan dapat menghambat pertumbuhan patogen Helminthosporium sp., mengurangi kehilangan hasil, dan meningkatkan produktivitas gandum tanpa menimbulkan efek berbahaya bagi lingkungan dan konsumen. Cendawan endofit yang telah diujikan untuk mengendalikan Helminthosporium sp. adalah Curvularia sp., Acremonium sp., Colletotrichum sp., dan Fusarium sp. .

Wheat are one of cereal crops that widely used as staple food in the world. Research on wheat production in Indonesia is still under development. One of the obstacles during development of wheat production is the attack of plant pathogens such as Helminthosporium sp. causing wheat panicle blight disease. Wheat panicle blight is one of the important disease of wheat in the fields, so appropriate disease control is needed. Various controls have been carried out to suppress the development of Helminthosporium sp. on wheat, but have not been shown satisfaction results. This study aim to obtain information about the potential of endophytic fungi as an alternative management of wheat panicle blight disease. The research method consisted of isolation of the pathogenic fungus Helminthosporium sp. from wheat seeds and literature review on the potential of endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents. Application of endophytic fungi to control this disease is promising, and is expected to inhibit the growth of the pathogen Helminthosporium sp., to reduce the yield loss, and to increase the productivity of wheat without or less harmful effect to the environment and to consumers. Endophytic fungi that have been tested to control Helminthosporium sp. is Curvularia sp., Acremonium sp., Colletotrichum sp., and Fusarium sp. .