Yam Microbial Rot Biocontrol Study: Sub-Sahara Africa Indigenous Trichoderma harzianum
TL;DR
It is advised that T. harzianum be examined for use in pre-harvest and post-harvest treatments, such as soil inoculation and seed treatment, reduce fungal contamination and improve yam output.
Abstract
This work examines the isolation, identification and characterization of Trichoderma species from yam tubers sourced from South-South region of Nigeria, evaluating their potential as biocontrol agent against prevalent fungal that cause yam rot. Fungal isolates were obtained by inoculation of yam peels/tissues on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), followed by morphological analysis. Microscopic inspection revealed septate hyphae, with distinctive conidia arrangement indicating the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichoderma. The antagonistic capabilities of Trichoderma were investigated using dual-culture tests, which demonstrated that Trichoderma exhibited considerable growth suppression of the pathogens, especially Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium sp., with inhibition percentages of 77% and 70%, respectively, DNA sequencing of the ITS region further validated the identity of the isolates as Trichoderma harzianum was a 100% match to sequences in the NCBI database accession number PQ637288.1. The result imply that Trichoderma harzianum holds substantial promise as a biological control agent for treating fungal diseases in yam crops. Based on these findings, it is advised that T. harzianum be examined for use in pre-harvest and post-harvest treatments, such as soil inoculation and seed treatment, reduce fungal contamination and improve yam output. Further studies should investigate the specific mechanisms behind the antagonistic effects of T. harzianum and its potential for large scale agricultural applications.