Biotechnological Application of Trichoderma: A Powerful Fungal Isolate with Diverse Potentials for the Attainment of Food Safety, Management of Pest and Diseases, Healthy Planet, and Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Numerous Trichoderma species have been highlighted as sustainable biotechnological tools exploited for the mass fabrication of biofertilizers and biofungicides as well as for the biological management of diseases and pests which constitute a major factor that mitigate against an increase in agricultural productivities. Trichoderma species possessed the capability to suppress the diseases that normally affect plant growth, and they could enhance crop improvement, thereby leading to an increase in agricultural production. Some of the various mechanisms of actions which enable them to perform such significant function includes myco-parasitism, induced systemic resistance, improved nutrient efficiency, and antibiosis. The application of various biotechnological techniques like proteomics, genomics, bioinformatics, and especially metabolomics has given a better insight into beneficial metabolites with uncountable active metabolites having antibacterial, antifungal, and bioremediation properties. This constitutes a major reason for their utilization for the biological control of diseases and pests affecting which has been a major constrain to increase agricultural productivities and even post-harvest management of agricultural commodities. The secretion of volatile metabolites from Trichoderma spp. has been shown to portend the capability to prompt resistance to plant pathogens, thereby enhancing plant health and their potential role for the bioremediation of heavily polluted agricultural soil. Therefore, this chapter intends to provide recent trends on the utilization of Trichoderma spp. as a biotechnological tool for the attainment of food safety, management of pest and diseases, healthy planet, bioremediation of polluted agricultural soil, and sustainable agriculture. Moreover, the mechanism of action utilized by these Trichoderma spp. against the pathogens and agricultural pests has been discussed in detail.