International Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Soil Science Vol. 1(3) pp.098-108, May 2011 Available online@ http://www.interesjournals.org/IRJAS Copyright © 2011 International Research Journals Full Length Research Paper Impact of dual inoculation with Rhizobium and Trichoderma on damping off, root rot diseases and plant growth parameters of some legumes field crop under greenhouse conditions W. I. Shaban 1 and M. A. El-Bramawy 2* 1 Agricultural Botany Department and 2 Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt Accepted 11 February, 2011 Damping off and root rot are a worldwide diseases, caused destructive yield losses of legumes field crop of Vicia fabae, Cicer arietinum and Lupines terms. The biological control of damping off and root rot diseases using microorganisms antagonistic to growth and development of the fungi were investigated under greenhouse conditions at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. The results exhibited that Rhizobium spp. and Trichoderma sp. fungi scoffed at the potential or ability to their compatibility and in combined effects in controlling the fungi, which caused the damping off and root rot. This resulted in an improvement in many plant growth parameters, which are ultimately expressed in increasing the yield components of branches plant -1 , pods plant -1 , seeds pod -1 , mean seed weight and then increase seed yield of the legume field crops broad bean, chickpea and lupine plants. The results suggested that the Rhizobium spp. and Trichoderma sp. can be used as biological control of some soil-borne fungal diseases causing significant yield losses in legumes field crops. Keywords: Soil borne diseases, Faba bean, Chickpea, Lupine, yield characteristics INTRODUCTION Faba bean (Vicia faba L.), Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lupine (Lupines terms L.) are the most important legumes crops in the human feeding all over the world. Grain legumes are subject to numerous pathogens attacking both the roots and the aerial parts of the plant. Among biotic stresses, diseases are often the major limiting factor the yield of grain legumes, and they are economically important where these crops are grown (Puglia and Aragona, 1997). Soil-borne fungal diseases are the most important factors among all limiting the seed yield of legume crops in many countries worldwide. On the other hand, regarding to environmental and health concerns about the extended use of effective chemicals, which are available to control a number of *Corresponding author Email: el_bramawy71@hotmail.com these diseases, we cannot rely upon them to a large extent for both economical and environmental reasons. The best approach is searching about a considerable interest in finding alternative control approaches for use in biological control strategies for crop diseases (Raupach and Kloepper, 1998; Pal and Garedener, 2006). The beneficial effect of Rhizobium sp. has been a main focus in terms of biological nitrogen fixation in the recent past (Deshwal et al., 2003). Other reports via, Nautiyal (1997), Estevez de Jensen et al. (2002) ; Baraka et al. (2009) revealed that Rhizobium spp. can be used in control soil-borne pathogens of legume crops, such as Rhizoctonia spp., Fusarium spp., sclerotium rolfsii, Macrophomina phaseolina and Pythium spp. As an extension to talk in this area, biological control of plant diseases, especially soil-borne plant pathogens, has been the subject of extensive research in the last two decades. Trichoderma spp. is well documented as