Findings suggest that newly isolated endophytic Trichoderma strains from loquat exhibit robust host compatibility, offering a promising sustainable strategy for managing root rot in perennial fruit crops.
Abstract
Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is highly susceptible to destructive soil-borne Fusarium pathogens, which cause severe vascular wilt and root rot. While Trichoderma species are widely applied as biocontrol agents, the potential of endophytic Trichoderma strains from loquat remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to isolate and evaluate loquat endophytic Trichoderma strains for their antifungal and plant growth-promoting capabilities. Ten isolates were identified through morphological and phylogenetic analyses as belonging to T. asperellum, T. virens and T. hamatum. Antagonistic activity was initially screened in vitro via dual-culture assays, followed by in vivo greenhouse pot experiments. In vitro results revealed that T. asperellum strains (B077R1 and B077B3) and T. virens GFR9 strongly inhibited the mycelial growth of both F. oxysporum and F. solani (inhibition rates > 50.65%), whereas T. hamatum isolates exhibited weaker antagonism (<35.18%). Moreover, T. asperellum B077R1 demonstrated the highest biocontrol efficacy in the greenhouse pot assay, significantly reducing disease severity caused by F. oxysporum and F. solani by 45.99% and 55.50%, respectively. This strain also significantly enhanced plant height, total biomass (fresh and dry weight) and photosynthetic pigment content (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that newly isolated endophytic Trichoderma strains from loquat exhibit robust host compatibility, offering a promising sustainable strategy for managing root rot in perennial fruit crops.
While Tas369 exhibits strong individual potential, the Tcom consortium provides superior biocontrol through multiple mechanistic interactions, offering an effective and sustainable approach for managing poplar anthracnose in forestry applications.
Ning Kong, Bin Liu, Jing Han et al.· Microorganisms· 0 citations
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum is a destructive soilborne pathogen that causes Fusarium wilt in cucumbers. This study evaluated the antagonistic activity of the endophytic fungus Trichoderma viride TVa199 against F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum and the mechanisms underlying its suppression of fungal virulence. TVa199 exhibited strong activity against F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, achieving 96.03 % inhibition in a dual culture assay. The culture filtrate, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of T. viride effectively inhibited mycelial growth, spore germination, and germ tube elongation of F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. The ethyl acetate extract caused severe damage to the morphology and ultrastructure of the hyphae and conidia of the pathogen, as evidenced by SEM and TEM observations. GC-MS analysis identified various bioactive secondary metabolites. Molecular docking predicted strong interactions between representative metabolites and virulence-associated proteins, including Avr2, M36 metalloprotease, and feruloyl esterase C. In the greenhouse experiments, the incidence of Fusarium wilt was reduced by 89.9 %, with a control efficacy of 87.5 % following the application of T. viride culture filtrate at 80 %. It also enhanced host defense by increasing phenolic content and defense-related enzyme activities while reducing oxidative stress markers. These results demonstrate that T. viride TVa199 suppresses F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum via a multi-target mechanism involving direct microbial antagonism, disruption of fungal cellular integrity, and metabolite-mediated interference with virulence-associated proteins. This study provides mechanistic evidence that fungal secondary metabolites contribute to the suppression of pathogen virulence. These findings expand the current understanding of microbial antagonism beyond conventional growth inhibition and support the development of sustainable biocontrol strategies against Fusarium wilt.
Aya A. Elemam, F. Migahed, A. Gebreil et al.· Microbial Pathogenesis· 0 citations
IR6 exhibited the most notable agronomic performance, increasing seedling leaf area, fruit production, and fruit size under field conditions and demonstrating antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum, confirming its potential as a biocontrol agent and PGPR.
Dulce R. Hernández-Luna, I. Maldonado-Mendoza, Alicia Fierro-Coronado et al.· Canadian Journal of Microbio...· 0 citations
The results support the use of T. harzianum as an effective bioinoculant to enhance plant growth and suppress pests, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic agrochemicals.
Blanca A. ESQUIVEL-AYALA, Margarita Vargas-SandÓVal, M. P. Chaires-Grijalva et al.· Pest Management Science· 0 citations
Fusarium wilt of Phalaenopsis spp., caused by Fusarium species, is a major soil-borne disease that severely threatens the yield and ornamental quality of Phalaenopsis. Endophytic fungi can serve as natural biocontrol agents against soil-borne pathogens and have potential applications in biological control. In this study, a pathogenic isolate, HT-1, was obtained from Fusarium-wilted Phalaenopsis plants, and its pathogenicity was confirmed through inoculation assays on detached leaves and intact plants. Morphological observations, together with internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF-1α) sequence analyses, identified HT-1 as Fusarium proliferatum. Seven endophytic fungi with strong antagonism against F. proliferatum were screened using a dual-culture assay. All seven isolates consistently inhibited five representative plant pathogens in vitro, showing broad-spectrum and promising biocontrol potential. Detached leaf inoculation assays showed that both Trichoderma virens and Trichoderma asperellum significantly reduced lesion area and disease severity caused by F. proliferatum, indicating potential application in disease management. In summary, this study identified seven endophytic fungi from Phalaenopsis with broad-spectrum antagonistic potential against multiple plant pathogenic fungi. Meanwhile, the protective effects of T. virens and T. asperellum against F. proliferatum were preliminarily evaluated using detached leaves. These findings provide theoretical reference and fungal resources for screening candidate biocontrol strains against Phalaenopsis Fusarium wilt and related plant diseases, and lay a foundation for future studies on biocontrol mechanisms, whole-plant efficacy verification, and practical application.
Postharvest soft rot is a major constraint in kiwifruit production, causing substantial economic losses and raising food safety concerns. Therefore, the development of sustainable biocontrol alternatives to conventional chemical treatments is urgently needed. In this study, thirty-seven fungi were isolated from healthy kiwifruit tissues and rhizosphere soil and screened for their biocontrol potential. Three highly effective antagonistic strains were ultimately identified: Mucor circinelloides N2-1-1, Aspergillus niger Pb-2-2, and Trichoderma hamatum Nd-1-1. In vitro antagonism assays showed that A. niger Pb-2-2 exhibited the strongest and broadest-spectrum inhibitory activity against four postharvest pathogens, namely Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., Botryosphaeriaceae sp., and Phomopsis sp. In contrast, in vivo protection assays demonstrated that T. hamatum Nd-1-1 almost provided the highest control efficacy against all four pathogens in kiwifruit fruit. Fermentation broth protection experiments further revealed that A. niger Pb-2-2 produced stable and broad-spectrum antimicrobial metabolites. Although M. circinelloides N2-1-1 showed the weakest antagonistic activity among the three fungi, this is the first report indicating that M. circinelloides has antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi. Physiological analyses indicated that all three antagonistic fungi alleviated the inhibitory effects of pathogens on superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase activities, helped maintain reactive oxygen species homeostasis, and activated the phenylpropanoid pathway, thereby enhancing disease resistance in kiwifruit. These findings provide a theoretical basis and promising microbial resources for the biological control of postharvest soft rot in kiwifruit.
Ji-Qing Lei, Hong Li, Yin-Na Shi et al.· Journal of Fungi· 0 citations
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