Harnessing Trichoderma in Agriculture for Productivity and Sustainability

Abstract

Increased agricultural activities driven by rising food demand have led to environmental problems mostly arising from the high levels of external inputs and resources that are required. Additionally, environmental changes, such as global warming, can lead to various biotic and abiotic stresses, which have negative impacts on crop production. Numerous solutions and agricultural strategies have been introduced to overcome these problems. One of the ways to improve plant production as well as to increase resistance towards biotic and abiotic stresses is by utilizing beneficial microbes as soil inoculants. A better understanding of the ability of Trichoderma to enhance crop production and the mechanisms that are involved are important for deriving maximum benefits from their exploitation. These versatile fungi hold great promise for the development of viable commercial products that can be used widely in agriculture for increasing crop productivity in a more sustainable way. Many previous reviews on Trichoderma have tended to focus on the mechanisms of Trichoderma in enhancing plant growth and yield. This current review discusses the sustainability aspect of using Trichoderma as plant growth regulators, the impact on plant growth and yield as well as their effects in regulating biotic and abiotic stresses.

Trichoderma: The Current Status of Its Application in Agriculture for the Biocontrol of Fungal Phytopathogens and Stimulation of Plant Growth

“…The presence of Trichoderma in the rhizosphere and plant tissues leads to increased plant tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses [155]. The most harmful environmental stresses that menace crop yield are drought, salinity, heavy metal accumulation, and extreme temperatures [156][157][158]. Adverse environmental conditions can disrupt the photosynthesis process, generate high ROS content, affect the translocation of nutrients, and modify plant hormonal balance, causing cell damage and plant necrosis [141].…”

“…Numerous strains of Trichoderma have been developed as biocontrol agents against plant diseases caused by bacteria, nematodes, and insects [158,164]. There are more than 200 species of plant pathogenic bacteria, among which Agrobacterium, Pseudomonas, Erwinia, Ralstonia, and Xanthomonas cause the most severe crop losses worldwide [165].…”

Beneficial Soil Fungi and Jabuticaba Growth Promotion

“…The efficiency of Trichoderma as biocontrol and biostimulation agents should be increasingly researched, based on the selection of the best strains [66], or the combination of strains aimed at the greater benefits of this genus of fungi in the plant production of each crop [53]. The development of viable commercial products based on Trichoderma is a promising approach for a more sustainable agriculture [67].…”

Biological Control of Plant Pathogens: A Global Perspective

“…Mycoparasitism specifically utilizes fungal cell-wall-degrading enzymes to access the cells [ 126 ]. Trichoderma , for example, can effectively eliminate phytopathogenic fungi through the suppression of other microorganisms at the same site, making Trichoderma the dominant organism in the infested site [ 127 , 128 , 129 ]. Parasitism between yeasts and fungus was also studied.…”