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The green shield: Trichoderma’s role in sustainable agriculture against soil-borne fungal threats

Summary

This research shows that Trichoderma fungi naturally found in soil can protect plants from harmful fungal diseases. Scientists isolated two types of Trichoderma from soil in the Kashmir region and tested them against 12 different disease-causing fungi. The results showed that these beneficial fungi successfully stopped the growth of harmful pathogens, offering a natural and environmentally safe alternative to chemical pesticides for protecting crops.

Background

Soil-borne pathogenic fungi pose a significant threat to agricultural productivity worldwide, causing substantial yield losses. Traditional chemical methods for controlling these pathogens carry environmental risks and ecological damage. Biological control using microorganisms like Trichoderma represents a more sustainable alternative to chemical treatments.

Objective

The study aimed to isolate Trichoderma species from soil samples collected from the Kashmir Himalaya region and evaluate their in vitro biocontrol efficacy against 12 different fungal pathogens using dual culture techniques and culture filtrate methods.

Results

Two Trichoderma species (T. harzianum and T. viride) were successfully isolated. Radial growth inhibition varied between 20.18-58.13% for T. harzianum and 07.01-67.16% for T. viride against different pathogens. Culture filtrates at higher concentrations caused significantly greater reduction in mycelial growth of all tested fungal pathogens compared to lower concentrations.

Conclusion

Native Trichoderma species demonstrated competent biocontrol potential against all 12 soil-borne fungal pathogens tested, suggesting they can be incorporated into integrated disease management strategies. The antagonistic activity varied between and within Trichoderma species, with T. viride showing slightly higher efficacy in radial growth inhibition. These findings support the use of Trichoderma as a sustainable biological control agent for protecting plants from fungal pathogenic threats.
  • Published in:Current Research in Microbial Science,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 39649407
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