Of 24 Trichoderma isolates, T harzianum Rifai (T24) showed a potential for control of the phytopathogenic basidiomycete Sclerotium rolfsii. When T24 was grown on different carbon sources, growth inhibition of S. rolfsii by the T24 culture filtrate correlated with the activity of extracellular chitinase and beta -1,3-glucanase. The 43-kilodalton (kDa) chitinase and the 74-kDa beta -1,3-glucanase were purified from the T24 culture filtrate in two and three steps, respectively, using ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (phenyl-Sepharose) and gel filtration (beta -1,3-glucanase). K-m and K-cat were 3.8 g l(-1) and 0.71 s(-1) for the chitinase (chitin) and 1.1 g l(-1) and 52 s(-1) for the beta -1,3-glucanase (laminarin). The chitinase showed higher activity on chitin than on less-acetylated substrate analogues (chitosan), while the beta -1,3-glucanase was specific for beta -1,3-linkages in polysaccharides. Both enzymes were stable at 30 degreesC, while at 60 degreesC the chitinase and the beta -1,3-glucanase were rapidly inactivated, showing half-lives of 15 and 20 min, respectively. The enzymes inhibited growth of S. rolfsii in an additive manner showing a promising ED50 (50% effective dose) value of 2.7 mug/ml.