The Impact of Trichoderma harzianum Together with Copper and Boron on Wheat Yield

Abstract

Deficiency of micronutrients is a major problem faced by nearly half of the world population due to intake of poor-quality food. To overcome the problem of malnutrition, biofortification of cereal crops is believed to be a good approach to increase nutrient contents in our daily food. The purpose of the current study was therefore to investigate the effect of foliar applied copper and boron alone and in combination with Trichoderma harzianum on yield attributes, grain quality, and nutrient contents of wheat. Wheat plants were treated with copper and boron in combination with or without T. harzianum. The applied treatments included Cu (0.05 M), Cu (0.1 M), T. harzianum, Cu (0.05 M)/T. harzianum, Cu (0.1 M)/T. harzianum, B (0.05 M), B (0.1 M), B (0.05 M)/T. harzianum, B (0.1 M)/T. harzianum, Cu (0.05 M)/B (0.05 M)/T. harzianum, and Cu (0.1 M)/B (0.1 M)/T. harzianum along with a control set for comparison. Results revealed significant enhancement in different studied growth traits including plant height, spike length, kernels per spike, harvest index, and chlorophyll content. In addition, this approach also enriched wheat grains with various micro/macronutrients including Cu, Fe, Zn, K, and P. This study concludes that the bioreagent T. harzianum along with foliar copper and boron may lead to reasonably enhanced grain quality and growth characteristics of wheat, further suggesting that the combined application of micronutrients along with T. harzianum under suitable conditions will make it an acceptable approach for crop improvements.

Combining Zinc Biofortification and Native Trichoderma Inoculation Strategies for Subterranean Clover

“…Thus, based on the preliminary results of our study, future experiments should consider the optimization of both the microbial inoculation and the Zn application conditions of the most promising combinations. In this regard, the results obtained by Anwar et al [42] show that the application of Trichoderma harzianum together with copper as a biofortification strategy, using a lower dosage of the mineral, produced a higher accumulation of said nutrient in the treated wheat plants.…”

“…response to climate change and evolving agricultural policies, future farming systems, especially in ecosystems that are already vulnerable, such as dehesas [40], must prioritize both crop productivity and sustainability. To achieve this goal, harnessing the potential of beneficial microorganisms to complement other sustainable strategies like agronomic biofortification is gaining traction as a more environmentally friendly alternative [41,42].…”

Salicylic Acid and α-Tocopherol Ameliorate Salinity Impact on Wheat

“…In the present study, salinity stress significantly impaired photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid, chlorophyll a/b ratio, and total chlorophyll), compared to controlled conditions, which is in agreement with previous studies. 13 , 57 , 58 A high degree of salinity decreased photosynthetic pigment production, and this pernicious effect can be attributed to the increases in chlorophyllase activity, the decreased rate of photosynthetic activity, as well as the reduction of CO 2 assimilation and movement of stomata. 59 As a result of salt stress, cells produce more oxygen radicals, which leads to oxidation, resulting in pigment degradation.…”