Effective Applications of <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. as Biofertilizers and Biocontrol Agents Mitigate Tomato <i>Fusarium</i> Wilt Disease
2022
Eman F. A. Awad-Allah | Amany H. M. Shams | Amira A. Helaly | Entsar I. M. Ragheb
Eco-friendly and sustainable plant disease management employing <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. as bioagents is an economically feasible and ecologically sustainable approach. Therefore, their use in agriculture should be encouraged. The two main goals of the present study were to evaluate the abilities of two <i>Trichoderma</i> isolates to prevent <i>Fusarium</i> wilt disease, which is caused by <i>Fusarium solani</i>, in vitro and under greenhouse conditions, as well as their potential as biofertilizers to enhance cherry tomato growth and development. The results of a dual culture test revealed that <i>T. viride</i> and <i>T. harzianum</i> are antagonistic against the <i>F. solani</i> pathogen. The antagonism mechanisms include competition for nutrients and space, mycoparasitism, and antibiosis, according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) findings. Additionally, <i>T. harzianum</i> reduced the mycelial growth of <i>F. solani</i> by 78.0%, whereas <i>T. viride</i> inhibited the growth by 61.2%, 10 days post-inoculation. In a greenhouse experiment, cherry tomato plants treated with each of these antagonistic <i>Trichoderma</i> isolates separately or in combination significantly suppressed <i>Fusarium</i> wilt disease, improved plant growth parameters, increased macro- and micronutrients uptake, and increased the content of photosynthetic pigments and total phenols. In conclusion, effective applications of <i>Trichoderma</i> isolates have the potential to mitigate <i>Fusarium</i> wilt disease, which is caused by <i>F. solani</i> in cherry tomato plants, while simultaneously promoting the growth and development of cherry tomatoes.
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