Six isolates of Trichoderma spp. (belonging to species; Trichoderma harzianum and T. longibrachiatum) were applied as seed or soil treatments to suppress damping-off of seedlings of ten cotton cultivars under greenhouse conditions. In most cases, cultivar x isolate interaction was a highly significant (p < 0.01) source of variation in the tested seedling growth parameters: incidence of disease, seedling height, and seedling dry weight. This interaction implies that a single isolate of Trichoderma can be highly effective in controlling the disease on a cotton cultivar but may have minimal efficiency in controlling the disease on another cultivar. It was also found that, in most cases, cultivar x isolate x application method was a highly significant source of variation (p < 0.01) in the tested growth parameters. Cotton cultivars showed differences in the disease reaction to the biocontrol agents. In the experiments evaluating the Trichoderma antagonists and their effect on seedling disease, a highly significant (p < 0.01) experimental treatment interaction was found. This interaction suggests that the outcome of cultivar x isolate interaction is markedly affected by the application method. Thus, the application method should be chosen to maximize the outcome of this interaction. The degree of the control of seedling disease in cotton differed according to the isolates of antagonists, the application method and cultivars.

Allelopathy refers to the beneficial and detrimental effects of one plant on another plant in both crops and weeds through the production of secondary compounds. In order to evaluate the allelopathic effects of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) as a crop and redroot pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus L.) as a common weed worldwide on each other in intercropping, these plants were cultivated under controlled conditions at Tabriz University laboratory. The ratios of wheat to redroot pigweed were, 100 : 0 and vice versa as a control, 75 : 25, 50 : 50, and 25 : 75. The results showed that at the ratio of 25 : 75 (wheat : redroot pigweed), the fresh and dry weight of roots and shoot length of wheat decreased significantly compared to the control. The fresh and dry weight of wheat shoots showed a significant decrease at different ratios compared to the control. Shoot peroxidase (POD), root superoxide dismutase (SOD), and root and shoot catalase (CAT) activities in redroot pigweed increased in all intercropping ratios compared to the control. POD activity in wheat roots was higher at all ratios than in the control. Furthermore, the ratio of 75 : 25 (wheat : redroot pigweed) led to increased activity of POD enzymes and malonedialdehyde (MDA) content in wheat shoots. Moreover, roots of redroot pigweed showed increased activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and SOD enzymes and MDA content. With increased density of redroot pigweed, the soluble sugar content of wheat roots reduced significantly. However, the content of insoluble sugar and total protein increased. Root exudate compounds such as terpenoids, phenolic compounds, fatty alcohol, steroids, fatty acids, and alkanes were identified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The findings showed that the roots were more exposed to oxidative stress due to direct contact with allelochemical compounds. Our results support the hypothesis that increasing the density can reduce the toxicity of allelochemical compounds and that increasing the activity of the antioxidant system will improve plant growth under allelochemical stress.