1
|
Martinez Y, Ribera J, Schwarze FWMR, De France K. Biotechnological development of Trichoderma-based formulations for biological control. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:5595-5612. [PMID: 37477696 PMCID: PMC10439859 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12687-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Trichoderma spp. are a genus of well-known fungi that promote healthy growth and modulate different functions in plants, as well as protect against various plant pathogens. The application of Trichoderma and its propagules as a biological control method can therefore help to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture. This review critically discusses and analyzes groundbreaking innovations over the past few decades of biotechnological approaches to prepare active formulations containing Trichoderma. The use of various carrier substances is covered, emphasizing their effects on enhancing the shelf life, viability, and efficacy of the final product formulation. Furthermore, the use of processing techniques such as freeze drying, fluidized bed drying, and spray drying are highlighted, enabling the development of stable, light-weight formulations. Finally, promising microencapsulation techniques for maximizing the performance of Trichoderma spp. during application processes are discussed, leading to the next-generation of multi-functional biological control formulations. KEY POINTS: • The development of carrier substances to encapsulate Trichoderma propagules is highlighted. • Advances in biotechnological processes to prepare Trichoderma-containing formulations are critically discussed. • Current challenges and future outlook of Trichoderma-based formulations in the context of biological control are presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Martinez
- Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Cellulose and Wood Materials, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Javier Ribera
- Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Cellulose and Wood Materials, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Francis W M R Schwarze
- Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Cellulose and Wood Materials, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
| | - Kevin De France
- Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Cellulose and Wood Materials, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Graziano S, Caldara M, Gullì M, Bevivino A, Maestri E, Marmiroli N. A Metagenomic and Gene Expression Analysis in Wheat (T. durum) and Maize (Z. mays) Biofertilized with PGPM and Biochar. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810376. [PMID: 36142289 PMCID: PMC9499264 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Commodity crops, such as wheat and maize, are extremely dependent on chemical fertilizers, a practice contributing greatly to the increase in the contaminants in soil and water. Promising solutions are biofertilizers, i.e., microbial biostimulants that when supplemented with soil stimulate plant growth and production. Moreover, the biofertilizers can be fortified when (i) provided as multifunctional consortia and (ii) combined with biochar with a high cargo capacity. The aim of this work was to determine the molecular effects on the soil microbiome of different biofertilizers and delivery systems, highlight their physiological effects and merge the data with statistical analyses. The measurements of the physiological parameters (i.e., shoot and root biomass), transcriptomic response of genes involved in essential pathways, and characterization of the rhizosphere population were analyzed. The results demonstrated that wheat and maize supplemented with different combinations of selected microbial consortia and biochar have a positive effect on plant growth in terms of shoot and root biomass; the treatments also had a beneficial influence on the biodiversity of the indigenous rhizo-microbial community, reinforcing the connection between microbes and plants without further spreading contaminants. There was also evidence at the transcriptional level of crosstalk between microbiota and plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Graziano
- Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Marina Caldara
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Mariolina Gullì
- Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124 Parma, Italy
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Annamaria Bevivino
- Department for Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, ENEA Casaccia Research Center, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Maestri
- Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124 Parma, Italy
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Nelson Marmiroli
- Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 43124 Parma, Italy
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
- National Interuniversity Consortium for Environmental Sciences (CINSA), 30123 Venice, Italy
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Luigi M, Manglli A, Dragone I, Antonelli MG, Contarini M, Speranza S, Bertin S, Tiberini A, Gentili A, Varvaro L, Tomassoli L, Faggioli F. Effects of Biochar on the Growth and Development of Tomato Seedlings and on the Response of Tomato Plants to the Infection of Systemic Viral Agents. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:862075. [PMID: 35615512 PMCID: PMC9125222 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.862075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biochar is a rich carbon product obtained by pyrolysis of biomass under a limited supply of oxygen. It is composed mainly of aromatic molecules, but its agronomic value is hard to evaluate and difficult to predict due to its great variable characteristics depending on the type of starting biomass and the conditions of pyrolysis. Anyway, it could be used as soil amendment because it increases the soil fertility of acidic soils, increases the agricultural productivity, and seems to provide protection against some foliar and soilborne diseases. In this study, the effects of biochar, obtained from olive pruning, have been evaluated on tomato seedlings growth and on their response to systemic agents' infection alone or added with beneficial microorganisms (Bacillus spp. and Trichoderma spp.). First, experimental data showed that biochar seems to promote the development of the tomato seedlings, especially at concentrations ranging from 1 to 20% (w/w with peat) without showing any antimicrobial effects on the beneficial soil bacteria at the tomato rhizosphere level and even improving their growth. Thus, those concentrations were used in growing tomato plants experimentally infected with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). The biochar effect was estimated by evaluating three parameters, namely, symptom expression, number of infected plants, and pathogen quantification, using RT-qPCR technique and −ΔΔCt analysis. Biochar at 10–15% and when added with Trichoderma spp. showed that it reduces the replication of PSTVd and the expression of symptoms even if it was not able to block the start of infection. The results obtained on TSWV-infected plants suggested that biochar could contribute to reducing both infection rate and virus replication. For systemic viral agents, such as PSTVd and TSWV, there are no curative control methods, and therefore, the use of prevention means, as can be assumed the use biochar, for example, in the nursery specialized in horticultural crops, can be of great help. These results can be an encouraging starting point to introduce complex biochar formulates among the sustainable managing strategies of plant systemic diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Luigi
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | - Ariana Manglli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | - Immacolata Dragone
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Mario Contarini
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Stefano Speranza
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Sabrina Bertin
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Tiberini
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Gentili
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | - Leonardo Varvaro
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Laura Tomassoli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Faggioli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA-DC), Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Francesco Faggioli
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Xian HQ, Liu L, Li YH, Yang YN, Yang S. Molecular tagging of biocontrol fungus Trichoderma asperellum and its colonization in soil. J Appl Microbiol 2019; 128:255-264. [PMID: 31541488 DOI: 10.1111/jam.14457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To conduct molecular tagging of the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma asperellum strain T4 and elucidate its colonization patterns in soil. METHODS AND RESULTS We constructed an expression vector harbouring a hygromycin B-resistant gene (hph) and an efficient green fluorescent protein (egfp) gene. By applying Agrobacterium AGL-1-mediated genetic transformation technology, we conducted molecular tagging of T. asperellum and monitored the colonization dynamics of T. asperellum in soil. The results of tracking five independent transformants of T. asperellum indicated that its expansion rates ranged from 4·7 to 6·8 cm week-1 . After inoculation in soil, the quantities of T. asperellum could be maintained at over 10 × 104 CFU per gram soil in the first year. In the third year after inoculation, the quantities of T. asperellum in soil were still higher than 1 × 103 CFU per gram soil. In addition, molecularly tagged T. asperellum in soil in the second year (i.e. 12 months) after inoculation could still reach the biocontrol effect on cucumber Rhizoctonia rot by more than 74%. CONCLUSION Trichoderma asperellum strain T4 is capable of effectively colonizing in soil and surviving for more than 1 year. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study has provided the scientific basis for applying T. asperellum as the biocontrol fungus for prevention and control of plant diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H-Q Xian
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Shandong Province, China.,Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, Shandong Province, China
| | - L Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Shandong Province, China
| | - Y-H Li
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Shandong Province, China
| | - Y-N Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Shandong Province, China
| | - S Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Shandong Province, China.,Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, Shandong Province, China.,Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| |
Collapse
|