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Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting crop growth and productivity. This work investigated the potential of five ST isolates of Trichoderma harzianum (Th-13, Th-14, Th-19, Th-33 and Th-50) applied through seed biopriming in reducing the detrimental effects of salinity stress on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Growth, physiological and biochemical parameters were studied to characterize salt tolerance. One factor was treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6) and second factor was four levels of salt stress viz., 0, 2, 4 and 6 dsm −1 . In germination test, most of the isolates (Th-14, Th-19 and Th-13) were effective in improving germination percentage and reducing RPG during salinity stress. Seedlings raised from ST Trichoderma isolates had significantly higher root and shoot lengths, CC and MSI than control at all stress levels. The treatments Th-14, Th-19 and Th-13 showed lower accumulation of MDA content whereas proline content and phenolics were higher in treated plants under both nonsaline and saline conditions. Highest MDA content was observed in control at salt stress level of 6 dSm −1 .

This study demonstrates a dose-dependent response of Trichoderma harzianum Th-56 in improving drought tolerance in rice by modulating proline, SOD, lipid peroxidation product and DHN / AQU transcript level, and the growth attributes. In the present study, the effect of colonization of different doses of T. harzianum Th-56 strain in rice genotypes were evaluated under drought stress. The rice genotypes treated with increasing dose of T. harzianum strain Th-56 showed better drought tolerance as compared with untreated control plant. There was significant change in malondialdehyde, proline, higher superoxide dismutase level, plant height, total dry matter, relative chlorophyll content, leaf rolling, leaf tip burn, and the number of scorched/senesced leaves in T. harzianum Th-56 treated rice genotypes under drought stress. This was corroborated with altered expression of aquaporin and dehydrin genes in T. harzianum Th-56 treated rice genotypes. The present findings suggest that a dose of 30 g/L was the most effective in improving drought tolerance in rice, and its potential exploitation will contribute to the advancement of rice genotypes to sustain crop productivity under drought stress. Interaction studies of T. harzianum with three aromatic rice genotypes suggested that PSD-17 was highly benefitted from T. harzianum colonization under drought stress.

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Green house study was aimed to investigate the effect of seed biopriming with drought tolerant isolates of Trichoderma harzianum, viz. Th 56, 69, 75, 82 and 89 on growth of wheat under drought stress and to explore the mechanism underlying plant water stress resilience in response to Trichoderma inoculation. Measurements of relative water content, osmotic potential, osmotic adjustment, leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and membrane stability index were performed. In addition, analysis of the phenolics, proline, lipid peroxidation and measurements of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity were carried out. Seed biopriming enhanced drought tolerance of wheat as drought induced changes like stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence were delayed. Drought stress from 4 to 13 days of withholding water induced an increase in the concentration of stress induced metabolites in leaves, while Trichoderma colonisation caused decrease in proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and an increase in total phenolics. A common factor that negatively affects plants under drought stress conditions is accumulation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), and we tested the hypothesis that seed biopriming reduced damages resulting from accumulation of ROS in stressed plants. The enhanced redox state of colonised plants could be explained by higher L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity in leaves after 13 days of drought stress in Trichoderma treated plants. Similar activity was induced in untreated plants in response to drought stress but to a lower extent in comparison to treated plants. Our results support the hypothesis that seed biopriming in wheat with drought tolerant T. harzianum strains increased root vigour besides performing the process of osmoregulation. It ameliorates drought stress by inducing physiological protection in plants against oxidative damage, due to enhanced capacity to scavenge ROS and increased level of PAL, a mechanism that is expected to augment tolerance to abiotic stresses.

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