Abstract
Trichoderma spp. are widely distributed in natural habitats and have been evaluated as a potential biocontrol agent (BCA) for disease control and plant growth promotion. In this study, 1308 Trichoderma strains were obtained from the plant rhizosphere soil, above-ground plants, and decaying wood from natural habitats in China. Among them, 49 Trichoderma strains showed a good inhibitory effect, especially against Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides with inhibition rate above 85% in the dual culture test. Among these 49 strains, the 13 strains with broad-spectrum inhibitory effects also significantly promoted the seed germination of five crops (rice, cucumber, tomato, melon, and pakchoi) and root growth of four crop seedlings (watermelon, tomato, eggplant, and chili). Furthermore, these strains showed effective colonization in the rhizosphere and root of cucumber. Trichoderma strains SC012 and NX043 showed the highest chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activity among all strains. Based on the morphological characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1 (tef1), twelve Trichoderma strains were identified as Trichoderma asperellum and one as Trichoderma afroharzianum. This study suggests that the 13 Trichoderma strains are promising BCAs and could be developed as biofertilizers and biological pesticides for agricultural applications.
Highlights
Soil-borne diseases significantly decrease the quality and quantity of cash crops including vegetables, fruits, and officinal plants [1]
The dual culture test showed that 49 Trichoderma strains had good inhibitory effects against F. oxysporum (FOC), C. gloeosporioides (CG), and B. cinerea (BC), and their percentage of growth inhibition (PI) were all exceeded 85% (Table 1)
The germination test showed that 13 strains (GZ070, HL100, HL119, HL135, HN059, JX013, SC012, XJ035, NX043, QH060, XJ087, SC098, and SC101) significantly promoted the seed germination of the five plants compared with the control
Summary
Soil-borne diseases significantly decrease the quality and quantity of cash crops including vegetables, fruits, and officinal plants [1]. Available strategies for managing soil-borne pathogens include cultivation practices, physical control, and chemical control through resistant plants [8]. These approaches can reduce pathogen-caused losses, they are time-consuming and nontargeting and have poor control effects in some cases; chemical control is effective, but there are potential risks to the environment, and pathogens are prone to drug resistance [9]. Biological control is one of the best options to overcome the above-mentioned hurdles to the management of soil-borne plant pathogens and is undoubtedly more suitable for the sustainable development of modern agriculture [10]
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