Abstract
This present study evaluates three isolates of Trichoderma as plant growth promoting or biological control agents: Trichoderma aggressivum f. sp. europaeum, Trichoderma saturnisporum, and the marine isolate obtained from Posidonia oceanica, Trichoderma longibrachiatum. The purpose is to contribute to an overall reduction in pesticide residues in the fruit and the environment and to a decrease in chemical fertilizers, the excess of which aggravates one of the most serious abiotic stresses, salinity. The tolerance of the different isolates to increasing concentrations of sodium chloride was evaluated in vitro, as well as their antagonistic capacity against Pythium ultimum. The plant growth promoting capacity and effects of Trichoderma strains on the severity of P. ultimum on melon seedlings under saline conditions were also analysed. The results reveal that the three isolates of Trichoderma, regardless of their origin, alleviate the stress produced by salinity, resulting in larger plants with an air-dry weight percentage above 80% in saline stress conditions for T. longibrachiatum, or an increase in root-dry weight close to 50% when T. aggressivum f. sp. europaeum was applied. Likewise, the three isolates showed antagonistic activity against P. ultimum, reducing the incidence of the disease, with the highest response found for T. longibrachiatum. Biological control of P. ultimum by T. aggressivum f. sp. europaeum and T. saturnisporum is reported for the first time, reducing disease severity by 62.96% and 51.85%, respectively. This is the first description of T. aggressivum f. sp. europaeum as a biological control agent and growth promoter. The application of these isolates can be of enormous benefit to horticultural crops, in both seedbeds and greenhouses.
Highlights
The growing concern of consumers for food safety and for the social and environmental sustainability of cultivation systems has a particular impact on the fruit and vegetable production sectors
Effects of Salinity and Temperature on Colony Growth of Trichoderma Isolates In Figure 2, the results obtained from mycelial growth of TS, TA, and Trichoderma longibrachiatum (TL) are shown at different salt concentrations and temperatures (25 and 35 ◦ C)
We have shown that TA, TS, and TL can inhibit the development of P. ultimum in vitro and are effective in reducing disease severity in melon seedlings, even under saline stress conditions
Summary
The growing concern of consumers for food safety and for the social and environmental sustainability of cultivation systems has a particular impact on the fruit and vegetable production sectors These sectors are facing increasingly stringent restrictions that large distribution chains establish in their purchasing specifications regarding the presence of active ingredients in multi-waste pesticide analyses. These are much more restrictive than those established by community legislation itself, both in terms of the amount (less than the maximum residue limit, MRL) and in terms of the number of active substances detected that they permit [1]. Public Health 2019, 16, 2053; doi:10.3390/ijerph16112053 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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