The numbers of infected tillers were last recorded one month after inoculation. They ranged from 1 to 13. T. harzianum AS12-2, with the lowest number of infected tillers, was more effective than any Trichoderma isolate in restricting the horizontal development of R. solani, even more effective than propiconazole, and formed a group by itself. In the case of T. harzianum AS3-5 and T. virens strains AD1-3 and AS16-22, the number of infected tillers was less than five, and these strains formed a statistical group being as effective as the fungicide