Clonostachys rosea to control plant diseases

Abstract

The fungus Clonostachys rosea was recognized as an aggressive parasite on other fungi already in the late 1950s. Research into its potential use in biological control of plant diseases soon followed. Today, there are several commercial products based on C. rosea available for biocontrol applications worldwide. Although its mycoparasitic ability has attracted a lot of interest, C. rosea is now viewed as an ecological generalist whose lifestyle also includes plant endophytism, rhizosphere competence and polyphagous ability. Protocols for producing high amounts of C. rosea spores are available for both solid state and liquid fermentation. Low temperature and low moisture content are key factors that influence the shelf life of C. rosea propagules. Products based on C. rosea can be delivered to flowers using bumble bees, applied by spraying or as seed dressing or by incorporation into the soil. Clonostachys rosea is today an established factor in sustainable plant protection strategies.

From amplicons to strains: The limitations of metabarcoding as criterium in the selection process of biocontrol strains against the pome fruit pathogenNeonectria ditissima

“…The biological control mechanism of C. rosea against pathogens is primarily attributed to the activation of multiple mechanisms such as secretion of cell wall degrading enzymes, production of antifungal secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics and toxins, and induction of plant defence systems [55][56][57][58]. Modes of action that require a direct contact between pathogen and antagonist and can be considered curative, show different dynamics and spatial-temporal development than preventive strategies.…”

SREBP-mediated gene expression regulation is essential for the intrinsic fungicide tolerance and antagonism in the fungal biocontrol agentClonostachys rosea

“…To test the role of membrane transporters in fungicide tolerance in C. rosea, we compared the expression pattern of membrane transporter genes between Δsre1 and the WT strains. We focused our analysis on MFS (major facilitator superfamily) transporters and ABC (ATPbinding cassette) transporter genes, which are considered crucial for their role in fungicide tolerance in C. rosea (Broberg et al, 2018;Dubey et al, 2014aDubey et al, , 2016Funck Jensen et al, 2021;Karlsson et al, 2015). Gene expression analysis identified 215 MFS transporter genes differentially expressed in Δsre1 compared to the WT.…”

Dicer-mediated RNA silencing is the key regulatory mechanism in the biocontrol fungusClonostachys rosea-wheat interactions

“…Surface sterilized germinated as described in the gene expression section. Three days old wheat seedlings were inoculated by dipping the roots for three minutes in C. rosea spore suspensions (1e+07 spore/ml) in sterile condition, transferred back to the filter paper in petri plates and incubated at 20°C as described before (Dubey et al, 2021). Roots were harvested seven dpi and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen.…”

“…The fungus C. rosea can colonize plant roots including wheat and thereby promote plant health and induce an immune response (beneficial fungus-plant interactions) against several fungal plant pathogens (Sutton et al 2002; Karlsson et al 2015; Saraiva et al 2015; Maillard et al 2020; Dubey et al 2014b, 2020). In addition, C. rosea can thrive as a necrotrophic mycoparasite and can antagonize plant pathogenic nematodes (Karlsson et al 2015; Tzelepis et al 2015; Iqbal et al 2018; Sun et al 2020; Broberg et al 2021; Funck Jensen et al 2021). To perform these functions, certain C. rosea strains are shown to regulate their genetic machinery and produce an arsenal of chemical compounds and proteins including hydrolytic enzymes, small secreted proteins and transporters (Dubey et al 2014b, 2014a; Lysøe et al 2017; Fatema et al 2018; Nygren et al 2018; Demissie et al 2018, 2020; Broberg et al 2021).…”