Environmental conditions are very important for the biological control of plant diseases. In a previous study, isolates of Trichoderma asperellum (IBLF 897, IBLF 904 and IBLF 914) and T. asperelloides (IBLF 908) were selected as antagonists of S. minor and S. sclerotiorum, causal agents of lettuce drop, one of the most relevant diseases affecting the lettuce crop. In this subsequent study, the mycelial growth of these isolates and pathogens, as well as the mycoparasitism of isolate IBLF 914, was evaluated at different temperatures. The mycelial growth of the isolates of T. asperellum and T. asperelloides, as well as of S. minor and S. sclerotiorum, was evaluated at temperatures ranging from 7 to 42 o C. ABSTRACT32 o C, in gerboxes containing substrate. S. minor and S. sclerotiorum showed mycelial growth at temperatures ranging from 7 to 27°C, but no growth occurred at 32 °C, and both pathogens had greater mycelial growth at 22°C. The isolates of Trichoderma grew at temperatures ranging from 12 to 37°C, with maximum growth at 27°C. The isolate IBLF 914 had mycoparasitism and reduced the disease in lettuce seedlings at temperatures ranging from 22 to 32°C. Since lettuce drop occurs when mild temperatures and high humidity prevail and the antagonist was more effective at higher temperatures, it is recommended that Trichoderma is applied in lettuce fields in Brazil also during warmer months of the year to reduce the inoculum remaining in the soil before planting the winter crop, which is more affected by the disease. v.42, n.3, p.222-227, 2016. 22, 27 e 32 o C em caixas gerbox contendo substrato. S. minor e S. sclerotiorum apresentaram crescimento micelial nas temperaturas de 7 a 27 °C, mas não cresceram a 32 °C e ambos os patógenos apresentaram maior crescimento micelial a 22 °C. Os isolados de Trichoderma cresceram em temperaturas entre 12 e 37°C, com um máximo a 27 o C. O isolado IBLF 914 exibiu micoparasitismo e reduziu a doença nas plântulas de alface em temperaturas entre 22 e 32°C. Como a murcha de esclerotínia ocorre quando predominam temperaturas amenas e elevada umidade e o antagonista foi mais efetivo em temperaturas médias a elevadas, sugere-se que Trichoderma seja aplicado em lavouras de alface no Brasil também nos meses mais quentes do ano visando a reduzir o inóculo presente no solo antes da instalação da cultura de inverno, mais afetada pela doença. RESUMOPalavras-chave: murcha de esclerotínia, Lactuca sativa, Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma asperelloides, controle biológico.One of the most important diseases affecting lettuce is lettuce drop, caused by Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum (8, 9). This disease is favored by mild temperatures and high humidity (11). Managing lettuce drop is complex and involves integrating fungicide applications with several other control methods such as deep plowing, roughing, crop rotation and subsurface-drip irrigation (12

Lettuce drop is one of the most important and difficult-to-control diseases affecting lettuce in Brazil and worldwide. This study was carried out to select Trichoderma isolates antagonistic to Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum, aiming to develop biological control for this pathosystem in Brazil. Thirty-one Trichoderma isolates were obtained with the use of baits and were tested under laboratory conditions for their ability to control S. minor and S. sclerotiorum in seedlings of lettuce cultivar Tainá cultured in Petri dishes containing water-agar medium. Subsequently, four isolates effective for control and showing high sporulation under laboratory conditions were evaluated in greenhouse in two experiments carried out with both pathogens in lettuce seedlings of the same cultivar. Twenty-two isolates showed ability to control S. minor and S. sclerotiorum in the in vitro experiments. The isolates tested under greenhouse conditions, identified as T. asperellum (IBLF 897, IBLF 904 and IBLF 914) and T. asperelloides (IBLF 908), reduced lettuce drop of seedlings caused by both pathogens but were more effective against S. minor. Biological control is a promising technology for the management of lettuce drop, especially because S. minor is the predominant species in infested lettuce fields in Brazil.