Potential Trichoderma Research Articles

Genome sequencing and functional analysis of potential Trichoderma species for controlling Pythium schmitthenneri-Induced root rot in olive trees

Root rot disease caused by Pythium schmitthenneri is a significant challenge in olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivation. Due to the limitations of chemical control, this study explores the potential of Trichoderma species as a sustainable alternative with an overview in the genetic properties involved in it. Eight Trichoderma isolates were obtained from olive roots and identified using rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, revealing four species: T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum, T. virens, and T. viride. Among these, T. harzianum T-BM6 and T. virens T-KH4, showed 81.4 and 78.77 % inhibition rates of pathogen growth, respectively, in vitro. Greenhouse trials demonstrated that these isolates reduced disease severity to 18.75 % for T-BM6 and 31.25 % for T-KH4. All isolates produced cellulase, with T-BM6 exhibiting high cellulolytic activity. Genomic analysis highlighted key genes related to the MAPK signaling pathway, sulfur metabolism, and inositol phosphate metabolism in T-BM6, and phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan metabolism in T-KH4. These results suggest that T. harzianum T-BM6 and T. virens T-KH4 are promising candidates for biological control, offering a sustainable alternative to chemical treatments for managing olive root rot.

Potential of Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus species as biocontrol agents against leaf blight of Citrullus lanatus (Egusi melon)

Potential of Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus species as biocontrol agents against leaf blight of Citrullus lanatus (Egusi melon)

Effect of Native Trichoderma as Seed Treatment on Germination and Seedling Performance of Lentil Under Biotic and Abiotic Stress Conditions

Physiological and water stress conditions substantially impede seed germination and the establishment of plant population. In 2020, a study was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) to identify potential Trichoderma strains that could alleviate physiological and water stress in germinating seeds. To create physiological stress, seeds were kept in an incubator at high relative humidity (90%) and temperature (40ºC) for 20 days. Similarly, to induce water stress on germinating seeds, Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was applied in four concentrations (0, 5, 10, and 15%). Nine different isolates of Trichoderma were isolated from forest and agricultural soil and conidial suspension was applied to lentil seeds to deposit 107cfu per gram of seeds. For each treatment, a total of one hundred seeds were placed on three layered moist blotter paper and incubated at 25±2°C. Germination was measured after every 24 hours. Under stress conditions, seeds treated with Trichoderma exhibited enhanced germination, root and shoot length, dry and fresh weight of root and shoot of seedlings as compared to untreated seeds. Highest seed germination under physiological stress and water stress was observed with Trichoderma isolates T87, Forest soil and T62, Darchula respectively. Isolate T87, Forest soil demonstrated the highest vigor index of seedlings in stress conditions. Seed treated with Trichoderma isolates also displayed significant improvement in germination under biotic stress induced by Sclerotium rolfsii. Trichoderma isolate T31, Banke showed highest germination under biotic stress. These findings highlight the potential of Trichoderma to enhance plant resilience and promote healthier growth under challenging environmental conditions. SAARC J. Agric., 21(2): 145-156 (2023)

Evaluation of Antagonists and the Effectiveness of Application Methods against Sheath Blight Disease of Rice under Pot Conditions

Rice sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the main disease of rice in the Chhattisgarh region. Three potential Trichoderma species were evaluated against sheath blight disease of paddy under pot conditions. The Trichoderma spp. Obtained/ isolated from three discrict Rajnandgaon, Raipur and Durg of Chhattisgarh were compared for their efficacy with check fungicide hexaconazole for foliar sprays. This experiment was conducted under pot condition in completely randomyzed design (CRD) with three replications during kharif 2016 and 2017. Among the three potential Trichoderma spp., highly effective species against sheath blight pathogen was evaluated. The disease severity was recorded 14 days after inoculation. The results of comparative foliar application of Raipur, Durg and Rajnandgaon Trichoderma isolates showed that all isolates of Trichoderma spp. significantly reduced the sheath blight disease severity in rice under pot conditions at 30 DAT and 60 DAT planting. Among the Trichoderma isolates, foliar spray of Durg isolate (TD3) was effectively showed 26.24% reduction in disease severity at 30 DAT and 24.85% reduction in disease severity at 60 DAT over control treatment. The highest disease severity was reduced by check fungicide hexaconazole. The Durg isolate (TD3) at 30 DAT and 60 DAT also increased the yield per plant as compared to Raipur (TR2) and Rajnandgaon isolates (TR1).

Interference of bio-control Trichoderma to enhance physical and physiological strength of sugarcane during Pokkah boeng infection.

Tremendous benefits have been derived from the use of fungicides but excessive use of chemical fungicides not only posing threat to human and animal life but also contaminates the prevailing environment. Damage by pathogenic fungi alone causes significant damage to crops like maize, rice, wheat, soybeans, and potatoes. Therefore, it becomes imperative that these diseases are checked and controlled, for which chemical pesticides are being sprayed on plants extensively. Considering the devastating damage and toxicity, the global focus has taken a drift from synthetic chemicals to nature-friendly biological control agents. The present study focuses on the use of biological control agents particularly Trichoderma in sugarcane during Pokkah boeng infection. In the present experiment, twenty promising Trichoderma strains were evaluated for plant growth promotion, lytic enzymes, and physiological and biocontrol activity. Out of the twenty, four potential Trichoderma strains were assessed in the pot experiment viz. T. harzianum strain T28, T41 and T49 and T. aureoviride strain T38. The T. harzianum (T28) showed efficient plant growth-promoting traits as it produced IAA (20.67µg/ml), phosphorus solubilization (18.57µg/ml), and cell wall degrading enzymes such as chitinase (24.98µg/ml) and β-glucanase (29.98µg/ml). The interference of biocontrol agent T. harzianum (T28) controlled the disease by 73.55%. Apart from this, the inoculation of Trichoderma (T28) enhanced growth attributes including germination percentage (26.61%), mean tiller number (8.28 tiller/pot), individual cane length (241.5cm), single cane weight (1.13kg) and the number of milleable canes (6.00 cane/pot). Improvements in physiological activities at different growth stages of the sugarcane crop were observed based on the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) on the leaf surface, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic rate. Further, improvement in juice quality parameters was also observed as it recorded the highest 0brix, sucrose, and commercial cane sugar by 21.26%, 19.28%, and 13.50%, respectively, by applying T. harzianum strain T28. Thus, results proved that T. harzianum strain T28 may be an effective eco-friendly biocontrol tool for managing Pokkah boeng disease in sugarcane. This is the first report of the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma spp. against Fusarium proliferatum causing Pokkah boeng disease in sugarcane.

Trichoderma spp. As potential biological control agent against Alternaria solani in potato

Alternaria solani is the main pathogen causing early blight on potato, considered to be one of the most important diseases of potato worldwide. The application of fungicides to control early blight in the field has become more difficult because of the constant appearance of mutated isolates that show fungicide resistance. The potential of Trichoderma as a biological control agent (BCA) to control diseases in other pathosystems has already been shown in several studies. However, only limited knowledge is available for the control of A. solani by BCAs in potato. In particular, little information is available on the effects of BCAs applied to whole potato plants. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the potential of Trichoderma spp. as a BCA against A. solani on three different scales: axenic culture, in the greenhouse, and in the field. In summary, a controlling effect of Trichoderma against A. solani in potato was shown at all three scales. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the choice of a single Trichoderma strain can strongly influence the outcome and that even strains from the same species show different efficiencies. However, a significant reduction of early blight in the field was only observed in one out of four years of field trials. A significant correlation between in vitro, in vivo, and field performance in one year could not be detected, which highlights the importance of trials under natural conditions to determine the effectivity of BCAs in practical fields. Our research shows the overall potential of Trichoderma spp. as a BCA against A. solani on potato. Therefore, our results serve as a basis for further improvement, which is needed to develop Trichoderma spp. into effective and reliable BCAs against early blight in potato.

Potential native Trichoderma strains against Fusarium verticillioides causing post flowering stalk rot in winter maize

Fusarium spp. complex, (Fusarium verticillioides, F. subglutinans, F. moniliforme, F. graminearum) causing post flowering stalk rot (PFSR), has been reported as a serious disease in southern Rajasthan, and eastern Gujarat in winter maize. In the present study, emphasis has been laid on the efficacy of twenty seven Trichoderma strains against F. verticillioides which is a major causal organism. Efficacy evaluation of Trichoderma strains was based on the radial growth of the pathogen in the presence of biological control agent (BCA). Based on per cent inhibition three potential native strains of Trichoderma spp (Trichoderma harzianum BThr29, T. asperellum BTas25, and T. erinaceum BTer43) were selected for biological control of PFSR in the field. T. harzianum BThr29, T. asperellum BTas25, and T. erinaceum BTer43 showed per cent inhibition of F. verticillioides by 87.8, 83.9, and 81.1 percent respectively. Maize plants were artificially inoculated with F. verticillioides, and three potential Trichoderma strains were delivered as soil application (Trichoderma enriched FYM 10 tones ha−1), seed treatment (10 g/kg seeds), and drenching (10 g/liter water). Split stem observation at the harvest of crop showed a restricted lesion of T. harzianum BThr29 treated plant at par with fungicidal application with an average mean rating scale of 1–1.3, which showed less than 50% discoloration in inoculated internode. In control, the mean disease rating scale was 3–3.4 which showed 51–75% of the inoculated internode is discolored. Application of Trichoderma strains improved crop stand by reducing lodging from 42.1 to 71.1% in inoculated maize plants, and reduced PFSR disease severity from 17.58 to 62.37%, Fungicidal application reduced lodging of maize plant from 57.91 to 77.78% and PFSR disease by 58.24–64.35% as compared to untreated control. The results obtained suggested that Trichoderma harzianum BThr29 has the potential to be used as a non-chemical alternative for PFSR disease management in maize crops.

Bio‐control potential of Trichoderma spp., against Fusarium spp., the incitants of Pokkah boeng disease of sugarcane under in‐vitro conditions

Fifty one Trichoderma isolates were isolated from sugarcane rhizosphere soil using selective culture media and characterized for their cultural and morphological characteristics. Trichoderma isolates were evaluated in-vitro conditions for their bio-control activity against Fusarium spp., the causal agent of Pokkah boeng disease of sugarcaneby dual culture method, an assay for production of volatile inhibitory metabolites and mycoparasitism. Morphological and genetic characterization was carried out. There was not much variability in colony characters and growth rate among fifty-one isolates of Trichoderma spp. Among the Trichoderma isolates, twenty promising Trichoderma isolates were molecularly identified as T. harzianum, T. afroharzianum, T. atrobrunneum, T. aureoviride, and T. asperellum. It can be concluded that predominantly Trichoderma harzianum and other allied spp., are abundant in the sugarcane rhizospheric ecosystem. In dual culture assay, twenty isolates showed > 70% linear growth inhibition against F. fujikuroi and F. proliferatum. Twenty promising isolates were further screened for the production of inhibitory volatile metabolites. Among them, nine isolates showed growth inhibition > 7% against both Fusarium spp. Mycoparasitism was observed in eleven isolates, among them four isolates viz., T28, T38, T49, and T41 showed parallel mycoparasitism against F. fujikuroi while seven isolates (T9, T17, T26, T28, T41, T49, and T40) showed coiling around F. proliferatum hyphae. Thus, the four most promising strains viz. T28, T38, T41, and T49 were identified as potential Trichoderma spp., and need to screen further for disease management in field conditions. On the basis of the antagonistic study, it can be concluded that T. harzianum strain T28, T. aureoviride strainT38, T. harzianum strain T41, and T. harzianum strain T49 are potential candidates for being explored further as biocontrol agents for the management of Pokkah boeng disease.

Copper tolerant Trichoderma asperellum increases bio-efficacy of copper against Phytophthora infestans in dual combination

Present research was conducted to understand the characteristics of Trichoderma in the development of combination product involving a lower dose of Cu fungicide that showed promise in the effective management of Phytophthora infestans, the late blight pathogen of potato. Based on Cu tolerance activity, potential Trichoderma strains (viz., TCMS-36, SBIT-32 and TCMS-71) were selected. Electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) studies revealed that tolerant Trichoderma isolates (SBIT-32 and TCMS 36) accumulated Cu on the cell wall, while the sensitive isolate (TCMS 71) was repressed due to penetration of Cu through the cell wall. To elucidate Cu-tolerance, Cu-biosorption by living and dead mycelia of T. asperellum was estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Both sensitive and tolerant T. asperellum isolates accumulated Cu in their cells all through the observation period of 120 h, with considerable increase in the amount of Cu removed from the cell free supernatant from 24 to 120 h. Isolate TCMS-36 recorded maximum Cu accumulation (0.3506 mg/g) in living mycelia, while SBIT-32 recorded highest accumulation (0.2368 mg/g) in dead mycelia. Effectiveness of Cu tolerant T. asperellum was studied in combination with Cu fungicides; viz., COC (Blitox-50), COH (Kocide) in controlling late blight disease in the field. Among three modes of applications, viz., seed, foliar and seed+foliar, maximum delay in progress of the disease was recorded in seed+foliar application. Dual combination of COC@500 ppm and Trichoderma was found more effective than COC alone @1000 ppm in reducing disease severity. Cu tolerant Trichoderma strains could thus be developed as combination products with Cu-based fungicides for safe and effective management of late blight disease of potato.

Novel approach in whole genome mining and transcriptome analysis reveal conserved RiPPs in Trichoderma spp

BackgroundRibosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a highly diverse group of secondary metabolites (SM) of bacterial and fungal origin. While RiPPs have been intensively studied in bacteria, little is known about fungal RiPPs. In Fungi only six classes of RiPPs are described. Current strategies for genome mining are based on these six known classes. However, the genes involved in the biosynthesis of theses RiPPs are normally organized in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) in fungi.ResultsHere we describe a comprehensive strategy to mine fungal genomes for RiPPs by combining and adapting existing tools (e.g. antiSMASH and RiPPMiner) followed by extensive manual curation based on conserved domain identification, (comparative) phylogenetic analysis, and RNASeq data. Deploying this strategy, we could successfully rediscover already known fungal RiPPs. Further, we analysed four fungal genomes from the Trichoderma genus. We were able to find novel potential RiPP BGCs in Trichoderma using our unconventional mining approach.ConclusionWe demonstrate that the unusual mining approach using tools developed for bacteria can be used in fungi, when carefully curated. Our study is the first report of the potential of Trichoderma to produce RiPPs, the detected clusters encode novel uncharacterized RiPPs. The method described in our study will lead to further mining efforts in all subdivisions of the fungal kingdom.

Biocontrol Potential of Salt-Tolerant Trichoderma and Hypocrea Isolates for the Management of Tomato Root Rot Under Saline Environment

The aim of present study was to decipher the effect of salinity stress on growth and antagonistic potential of Trichoderma and Hypocrea isolates against tomato root rot pathogen (Rhizoctonia solani AG-4) under saline soil conditions. In vitro salinity assays, dual plate confrontation, and volatile metabolite assays were employed to establish the antagonistic potential of Trichoderma and Hypocrea isolates against R. solani AG-4 under varied salt gradients. Potential Trichoderma and Hypocrea isolates were evaluated against tomato root rot disease in greenhouse conditions under salt stress condition. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was performed to confirm the presence of endochitinase gene in salt-tolerant antagonists. Enzyme and biochemical assays were conducted to define the role of compatible solutes and defense-related enzymes in controlling tomato root rot under saline soil conditions. Trichoderma and Hypocrea isolates were capable to grow and sporulate up to 250 mM NaCl and also showed strong antagonism against R. solani. Enzymatic estimation of hydrolytic enzymes and amplification of endochitinase gene suggested that the test isolates are potent antagonistic agents. Under greenhouse evaluation, Trichoderma and Hypocrea fortified tomato plants showed significant reduction in tomato root rot disease in saline soils over untreated control. Significant increase in total phenol, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, β-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine lyase, chitinase, proline, reducing sugar, and total soluble sugar displayed direct association with salt stress tolerance. Application of salt-tolerant Trichoderma and Hypocrea isolates emerged as a simple, safe, and cheap method for the biological management of tomato root rot under saline condition.

Biocontrol efficacy of Trichoderma viride against fungal pathogens of cumin, groundnut and castor

A potential Trichoderma viride strain CZTV-1 was screened against 15 fungal plant pathogens of which nine pathogens Diaporthe sp., Nectria haematococca, Fusarium sp., Aspergillus flavus, Lasidiplodia theobromae, Pseudofusicoccum adansoniae, Fusarium solani, Aspergillus niger and Fusarium brachygibbosum were isolated from groundnut; three pathogens viz., Alternaria alternata, Fusarium equiseti and Fusarium oxysporum were isolated from cumin; and three pathogens viz., Alternaria tenuissima, Chaetomium atrobrunnem and Alternaria porri were isolated from castor. In dual culture, T. viride (CZTV-1) significantly reduced the mycelial growth of pathogenic fungi which was the least (29.0%) for Fusarium sp. (CZC-3) and which was the maximum (82.2%) for Aspergillus niger (CZGN-12) which was statistically on par with Fusarium solani CZGN-9 (80.7%). This Trichoderma viride isolate (CZTV-1) can be further exploited for commercial scale up as a biocontrol agent under localized climatic conditions of western Rajasthan.

Trichoderma mediate early and enhanced lignifications in chickpea during Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris infection.

Lignifications in secondary cell walls play a significant role in defense mechanisms of plants against the invading pathogens. In the present study, we investigated Trichoderma strain specific lignifications in chickpea plants pre-treated with 10 potential Trichoderma strains and subsequently challenged with the wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc). Trichoderma-induced lignifications in chickpea were observed through histochemical staining and expression of some genes of the lignin biosynthetic pathway. Lignifications were observed in transverse sections of shoots near the soil line through histochemical staining and expression pattern of the target genes was observed in root tissues through semi quantitative RT-PCR at different time intervals after inoculation of F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris. Lignin deposition and expression pattern of the target genes were variable in each treatment. Lignifications were enhanced in all 10 Trichoderma strain treated and F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris challenged chickpea plants. However, four Trichoderma strains viz., T-42, MV-41, DFL, and RO, triggered significantly high lignifications compared to the other six strains. Time course studies showed that effective Trichoderma isolates induced lignifications very early compared to the other strains and the process of lignifications nearly completes within 6 days of pathogen challenge. Thus, from the results it can be concluded that effective Trichoderma strains trigger lignifications very early in chickpea under Foc challenge and provide better protection to chickpea plants.

In Vitro Antagonism of Trichoderma Isolates Against Curvularia andropogonis Causing Leaf Blight of Java Citronella

Leaf blight is the most devastating disease of Java Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) in North east India. The pathogen was isolated and identified as Curvularia andropogonis. A total of 6 Trichodema isolates were recovered from forest soil and tested against the target pathogen. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among Trichoderma isolates in checking the mycelial growth of C. andropogonis in dual culture, inverted plate and culture filtrate assay (P < 0.05). Two potential Trichoderma isolates were identified as T. asperellum and T. virens using sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA. Both the species were found more effective and significantly inhibited the growth of the test pathogen in vitro. Our results suggest appealing application possibilities of Trichoderma isolates in the biological management of leaf blight disease of Java Citronella.

Enhanced biological control of powdery mildew in vineyards by integrating a strain of Trichoderma afroharzianum with sulphur

Identifying a superior bio-control strain is the first step in developing a successful bio-control strategy for any disease. Field trials were conducted to systematically screen six potential Trichoderma isolates for control of powdery mildew disease during 2013–2016. Treatments were applied as foliar sprays with a simple liquid formulation of Trichoderma containing 5×106sporesml−1. The preliminary scale, small scale, and field scale trials showed that isolates NAIMCC-F-01938 and NAIMCC-F-01965 were superior to the other four Trichoderma isolates reducing disease by 43.67–50.36% and 35.71–53.40% respectively. Analysis of ITS, act, rpb2 and tef1 genes showed homology of strains NAIMCC-F-01938 and NAIMCC-F-01965 to T. afroharzianum and T. asperelloides respectively. Both isolates produced an array of enzymes implicated in bio-control activities. In co-culture studies on grape leaves, Trichoderma hyphae grew towards and coiled around Erysiphe necator conidia, caused distortion of conidial structure and overgrew the powdery mildew colonies. T. afroharzianum showed higher tolerance to fungicides commonly used in powdery mildew management. In the large scale demonstration trial it showed 43% reduction in disease severity as compared to the untreated control. Furthermore, introducing two late season T. afroharzianum applications in a fungicide spray schedule, as replacement for sulphur, enhanced powdery mildew control by 31% as compared to the only fungicide schedule. The study shows that the T. afroharzianum strain NAIMCC-F-01938 can be positioned with safe fungicides for enhanced control of powdery mildew in vineyards.

Fungal Biomass Protein Production from Trichoderma harzianum Using Rice Polishing.

Industrially important enzymes and microbial biomass proteins have been produced from fungi for more than 50 years. High levels of crude protein as much as 45% are present in fungal biomass with balanced essential amino acids. The aim of this study was to access the potential of Trichoderma harzianum to produce fungal biomass protein from rice polishings. Maximum biomass yield was obtained at 5% (w/v) rice polishings after 72 h of incubation at 28°C at pH 4. Carbon and nitrogen ratio of 20 : 1 gave significantly higher production of fungal biomass protein. The FBP in the 75 L fermenter contained 49.50% crude protein, 32.00% true protein, 19.45% crude fiber, 9.62% ash, 11.5% cellulose content, and 0.325% RNA content. The profile of amino acids of final FBP exhibited that all essential amino acids were present in great quantities. The FBP produced by this fungus has been shown to be of good nutritional value for supplementation to poultry. The results presented in this study have practical implications in that the fungus T. harzianum could be used successfully to produce fungal biomass protein using rice polishings.

Effective composting of empty fruit bunches using potential Trichoderma strains

Oil palm fibres are easy to degrade, eco-friendly in nature and once composted, they can be categorized under nutrient-enriched biocompost. Biocompost is not only a good biofertilizer but also a good biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens. In this research, experimental works on the composting of empty fruit bunches (EFB) from the oil palm industry were conducted using two potential Trichoderma strains. Analysis of pH initially found the soils to be slightly acidic. However, after composting, the soils were found to be alkaline. Trichoderma propagules increased by 72% in the soils compared to other fungi. Soil electrical conductivity was found to be 50.40μS/cm for compost A, 42.10μS/cm for compost B and 40.11μS/cm for the control. The highest C:N ratio was obtained for compost A at 3.33, followed by compost B at 2.79, and then the control at 1.55. The highest percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were found in compost A (0.91:2.13:6.68), which was followed by compost B (0.46:0.83:5.85) and then the control (0.32:0.26:5.76). Thus, the biocomposting of oil palm fibres shows great potential for enhancing soil micronutrient, plant growth performance, and crop yield production.

Purification and characterization of endo β-1,4-D-glucanase from Trichoderma harzianum strain HZN11 and its application in production of bioethanol from sweet sorghum bagasse.

An acidophilic-solvent-thermostable endo β-1,4-d-glucanase produced from a potential Trichoderma harzianum strain HZN11 was purified to homogeneity by DEAE-Sepharose and Sephadex G-100 chromatography with 33.12 fold purification with specific activity of 66.25 U/mg and molecular mass of ~55 kDa. The optimum temperature and pH were 60 °C and 5.5 retaining 76 and 85 % of activity after 3 h, respectively. It showed stability between pH 4.5–6.0 and temperature between 50–70 °C indicating thermostability. Endo β-1,4-d-glucanase was activated by Ca2+ and Mg2+ but inhibited by Hg2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+. The effect of thiol reagents, metal chelators, oxidizing agents and surfactants on enzyme activity has been studied. Purified endo β-1,4-d-glucanase exhibited highest specificity towards carboxymethyl cellulose. Kinetic analysis showed the K m, V max and K i (cellobiose inhibitor) of 2.5 mg/mL, 83.75 U/mg and 0.066 M, respectively. The storage stability of purified endo β-1,4-d-glucanase showed a loss of mere 13 % over a period of 60 days. The hydrolysis efficiency of purified endo β-1,4-d-glucanase mixed with cocktail was demonstrated over commercial enzyme. Optimized enzymatic hydrolysis of sweet sorghum and sugarcane bagasse released 5.2 g/g (36 h) and 6.8 g/g (48 h) of reducing sugars, respectively. Separate hydrolysis and fermentation of sweet sorghum bagasse yielded 4.3 g/L bioethanol (16 h) confirmed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Morphological and structural changes were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Elemental analysis was carried out by SEM equipped with energy dispersive X-ray technique. These unique properties prove the potentiality of enzyme for biomass conversion to biofuel and other industrial applications.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13205-016-0421-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Plant Growth Promotion and Induced Defense Response in Safflower (&lt;I&gt;Carthamus tinctorius&lt;/I&gt; L.) by &lt;I&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/I&gt;

Nine potential Trichoderma strains were tested for mycoparasitic, defence enzyme activity and root colonizing behaviour against Macrophomina phaseolina and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. carthami in safflower ( Carthmus tinctorius L). Among them three strains viz., T. harzianum Th4d, T. asperellum TaDOR7316 and T. asperellum Tv5 were found to be most effective showing superior antagonistic activity. Hyphal interaction studies revealed that the inhibition was caused by an interaction that took place in close contact with the host hypha, causing lysis, swelling and coiling of mycelia resulting potentially reduced mycelial growth of M. phaseolina and showed lytic enzymes activity to various extent in Th4d, Tv5 and TaDOR 7316. These strains were also able to solubilize inorganic (P). Increased activity of defense related enzymes viz., peroxidase (PO), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity in these three potential strains pre-treated safflower plants challenged with M. phaseolina was observed. PO, PPO and PAL activity was also increased two-three folds more in all these bioagents. Interaction between the bioagents and the safflower root system showed profuse adhesion of hyphae to the plant roots as well as colonization of the root epidermis and cortex cells but not the vessels at early stages of safflower root system. Levels of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in the bioagents treated leaves and untreated (control) were determined microscopically. Application of these bioagents under field conditions reduced the incidence of root rot and Fusarium wilt, increased growth and plant biomass to a reasonable extent with better root colonization, which is directly correlated with the resistance of the plant against infection and high seed yield, was observed with bioagents treatment. Thus, it is evident that the hyphal interaction and enzymes play a key role to stimulate the defense mechanism which aid in disease management as well as plant growth promotion of the host plant against pathogen attack.

Screening of &lt;I&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/I&gt; Species against Major Soil Borne Fungal Pathogens

The antagonistic potential of forty four isolates of Trichoderma were evaluated in vitro against the most widely occurring soil borne plant pathogens viz., Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizoctonia bataticola and Sclerotium rolfsii to identify the most potential Trichoderma isolate. Maximum growth inhibition of M. phaseolina (81.11 %), R. solani (82.59 %) and S. rolfsii (76.67 %) was recorded by T. hamatum where as T. virens was most aggressive against R. bataticola (68.15 %) in dual culture technique.