Bioefficacy of Trichoderma species against important fungal pathogens causing post-harvest rot in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam)

Abstract

Tuber rot disease constitutes a serious threat to sweetpotato production worldwide, causing economic losses to farmers. This study evaluated an eco-friendly approach using four biological control agents, Trichoderma viride, T. harzianum, T. hamatum and T. pseudokoningii for the management of post-harvest tuber rot disease of sweetpotato. Field surveys for infected tuber samples were conducted four across major sweetpotato states in Nigeria. Rot severity in inoculated tubers was evaluated over a storage period of four months and Trichoderma species isolated from the rhizosphere were bioassayed for the production of metabolites to evaluate the mechanism of antibiotic production for the control of rot pathogens using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. A total of 24 metabolites were produced by the Trichoderma species and the abundances were species dependent. Trichoderma species significantly (p<0.05) inhibited rot in treated tubers at 4 months after storage. However, T. harzianum was most effective, reducing mycelia growth of the rot pathogens by 54.6-77.3% in vitro and 47.2-68.8% reduction of rot incidence in vivo. The efficacy of Trichoderma species used in this study recommends their use as alternative therapy to synthetic fungicides in the management of post-harvest rot in sweetpotato.
 
 J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(4): 446–453, 2019

Isolation and Identification of Trichoderma species From South-South Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria

“…Through the use of natural enemies like microbes in the ecosystem, biological control is an effective and environmentally friendly way to lower the prevalence of disease (Dania, 2019). The goal of biological control agents (BCAs) is to significantly lower the prevalence of disease while also enhancing the ability of hormones that promote growth to promote plant development and ultimately yield (Pascal et al, 2017).…”

“…Trichoderma species T. reesei, T. virens, and T. atroviride have their genomes examined, and the results indicated that mycoparasitism is an intrinsic trait of Trichoderma; yet, these species also exhibit significant nutritional versatility: Trichoderma species have an exceptional propensity to create enzymes that cause lysis of the host cell, which promoted their use as a biocontrol agent against plant pathogenic fungus in addition to acting as mycoparasite (Kubicek et al, 2019). According to Dania (2019), Trichoderma species exhibit an exceptional propensity to create enzymes that lyse the target pathogens' mycelia and result in the formation of secondary metabolites or antibiotics. With more than 1500 registered preparations worldwide (Verma et al, 2007), they are the most common natural fungicides used in commercial farming (Dania, 2019).…”

“…According to Dania (2019), Trichoderma species exhibit an exceptional propensity to create enzymes that lyse the target pathogens' mycelia and result in the formation of secondary metabolites or antibiotics. With more than 1500 registered preparations worldwide (Verma et al, 2007), they are the most common natural fungicides used in commercial farming (Dania, 2019).…”

Trichoderma Enzymes for Degradation of Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A

“…These beneficial fungi are competitors in the soil environment to pathogen species and synthesize secondary metabolites to decrease plant pathogens [21] by an interference competition [22]. Moreover, Trichoderma fungi can produce peroxidases, glucanases, chitinases, and cellulases, enzymes active against phytopathogens [23,24] used in the postharvest disease management of papaya, apple, tomato, pear, mango, banana, potato, and berries [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37].…”