Genetic Diversity and Antagonistic Properties of Trichoderma Strains from the Crop Rhizospheres in Southern Rajasthan, India

Summary

This research explored the diversity and beneficial properties of naturally occurring Trichoderma fungi found in agricultural soils of southern India. These beneficial fungi can protect crops from harmful soil-borne diseases and promote plant growth. The researchers identified several different species of Trichoderma and found one particularly effective strain that could significantly reduce plant diseases in both laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Impacts on everyday life: – Provides a natural alternative to chemical pesticides for protecting crops from diseases – Could help farmers reduce crop losses and increase agricultural productivity – Contributes to more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices – May lead to development of new biological products for plant disease control – Could help improve food security by protecting important food crops

Background

Species in the fungal genus Trichoderma are known for rapid growth and high-stress tolerance, with many having cosmopolitan distribution across ecological niches like soil, decayed wood, plant endophytes, mushroom compost and marine habitats. Native Trichoderma strains from crop rhizosphere are likely to be more effective biocontrol agents as they are in close contact with plant roots and can establish endophytic relationships that induce pathogen resistance and enhance plant growth. Understanding their biodiversity in crop rhizosphere is important given their ecological significance and plant associations.

Objective

To characterize and identify Trichoderma species isolated from 16 different crop rhizosphere soils in southern Rajasthan using morphological characterization and sequence analysis of translation elongation factor (tef-1α). Additionally, to evaluate the potential of the Trichoderma strains in in vitro and in vivo assays against soil-borne plant pathogens.

Results

A total of 60 isolates were classified into 11 species: T. brevicompactum (18 isolates), T. afroharzianum (11), T. asperellum (10), T. asperelloides (3), T. inhamatum (1), T. camerunense (2), T. erinaceum (11), T. lentiforme (1), T. atroviride (1), T. ghanense (1), and T. longibrachiatum (1). T. afroharzianum BThr29 showed maximum inhibition against S. rolfsii (76.6%), R. solani (84.8%), and F. verticillioides (85.7%) in vitro. This strain also demonstrated effective disease control in pot culture experiments.

Conclusion

The study revealed significant Trichoderma biodiversity in southern Rajasthan’s crop rhizospheres, with T. brevicompactum being the most commonly occurring species followed by T. afroharzianum. T. lentiforme showed its first occurrence outside South America. T. afroharzianum BThr29 proved to be the most potent strain for biocontrol applications against soil-borne pathogens both in vitro and in vivo. This information on crop selectivity, antagonistic properties, and geographic distribution will be valuable for developing efficient Trichoderma-based biocontrol agents.
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