Trichoderma strains application in promoting rooting of Schlumbergera cactus

Abstract

The aim of this work is to evaluate and deepen knowledge on the use of Trichoderma to stimulate the vegetative growth and rooting of plants. In this case, a trial was carried out on cuttings of Schlumbergera, a genus of cactus that is very important from an ornamental point of view but that presents numerous difficulties in the process of rooting in substrate, where cuttings often rot due to excess humidity or die due to the attack of pathogenic fungi. The trial started in March 2021 and lasted for ten months in the CREA greenhouses in Pescia, Italy. The experimental trial showed a significant effect on the rooting of Schlumbergera cuttings and on all agronomic parameters assessed on the plants in cultivation, following treatment in the growing medium with Trichoderma spp. The cuttings treated with the fungi in fact showed an increase in root weight and length, vegetative weight, number of new shoots and flowers, floral life, and a significant reduction in mortality of the treated cuttings. These results show how Trichoderma, in addition to its activity as an antagonist of pathogenic fungi, can increase the rooting and growth of plants and the production and duration of flowers, particularly on plant species where there is often little information. This experimentation may be of particular interest for cactus and succulent growers, since there is no research in the literature on biological propagation methods for these plants.