Trichoderma and Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

Abstract

Due to their unique properties and functionalities, nanomaterials can be found in different activities as pharmaceutics, cosmetics, medicine, and agriculture, among others. Nowadays, formulations with nano compounds exist to reduce the application of conventional pesticides and fertilizers. Among the most used are nanoparticles (NPs) of copper, zinc, or silver, which are known because of their cytotoxicity, and their accumulation can change the dynamic of microbes present in the soil. In agriculture, Trichoderma is widely utilized as a safe biocontrol strategy and to promote plant yield, making it susceptible to be in contact with nanomaterials that can interfere with its viability as well as its biocontrol and plant growth promotion effects. It is well-known that strains of Trichoderma can tolerate and uptake heavy metals in their bulk form, but it is poorly understood whether the same occurs with nanomaterials. Interestingly, Trichoderma can synthesize NPs that exhibit antimicrobial activities against various organisms of interest, including plant pathogens. In this study, we summarize the main findings regarding Trichoderma and nanotechnology, including its use to synthesize NPs and the consequence that these compounds might have in this fungus and its associations. Moreover, based on these findings we discuss whether it is feasible to develop agrochemicals that combine NPs and Trichoderma strains to generate more sustainable products or not.

Diversity and effects of competitive Trichoderma species in Ganoderma lucidum–cultivated soils

“…Moreover, Trichoderma spp. utilize diverse substrates and resist noxious chemicals ( Ramírez-Valdespino and Orrantia-Borunda, 2021 ). Trichoderma produces large amounts of conidia for propagation and survival ( Schuster and Schmoll, 2010 ).…”

The utilization of microbes for sustainable food production

“…This method is particularly useful in the production of NPs for agricultural purposes. Silica nanoparticles (Si-NP) are an example of fertilizers that are successfully produced using Aspergillus parasiticus (Zielonka et al, 2018 ) or Trichoderma (review by Ramirez-Valdespino and Orrantia-Borunda, 2021 ). Additionally, the use of silicon has been reported to enhance the growth and productivity of rice, which is one of the main staple food crops (Zielonka et al, 2018 ; Ng et al, 2021 ; Noor-Hassim et al, 2021 ).…”

Biogenic synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of synthesized nanoparticles against the pathogenic fungus Alternaria solani

“…The essential biological component of Trichoderma-mediated mycosynthesis of NPs consists of enzyme reductases, which can function in a bioreductive pathway of biofabricated NP synthesis (Elegbede et al, 2018 ). Trichoderma is an easy-to-handle fungus and has a number of physiological and technical benefits (Ramírez-Valdespino and Orrantia-Borunda, 2021 ; Manzar et al, 2022b ). A simple, cost-effective, and environmentally favorable approach is to use Trichoderma hyphal extracts, which are beneficial for the production of metal NPs.…”