About

Plants cope with multiple abiotic and biotic stresses during their entire growth cycle. These stresses may include drought, salinity, nutrient deficiency or toxicity, extreme pH values, pathogens and pests. The use of beneficial microorganisms may represent a nature-based solution to reduce stress-inducing factors, thereby easing plant adaptation to unfavourable environmental conditions. Antagonistic Trichoderma spp. strains are being selected by researchers at UNISS-NRD for their remarkable biological control potential against soilborne plant pathogenic fungi affecting many crops.

The main objective of this research is to identify new isolates of antagonistic Trichoderma species able to control soilborne plant pathogenic fungi and to create ideal conditions for the establishment of crops (mainly horticultural and pasture crops, but also trees for afforestation), particularly during the most critical phases of seed germination, emergence and post-emergence. Moreover, selected Trichoderma isolates will be tested for their ability to improve plant resistance to water scarcity and soil salinity by promoting root development, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic efficiency.

Trichoderma– based formulations can be applied on horticultural crops, pasture crops and trees intended for afforestation or agroforestry production (e.g., cork oak). Plants for planting including seeds are the ideal target for this approach: the Trichoderma formulations should be applied either as seed coating or added to the sowing/rooting substrate during the first phases of pre- and post emergence. The Trichoderma strains will colonise the rhizosphere and become established throughout the entire life of the plant. 

Main constraints

The main constraints in the application of Trichoderma-based inoculants are related to the type of soil that may not be always appropriate to support the establishment of these microorganisms. Trichoderma spp. grow well in acidic or sub-acidic soils, whereas they are frequently inhibited by high pH values. Also temperatures above 40°C may hamper the establishment of these fungi, and for this reason a special focus is given to thermotolerant strains.

Indexes

Despite many commercial formulates are already available, Trichoderma-based inoculants are still offering attractive business opportunities due to the following reasons: (i) lack of commercial strains able to protect plants from multiple stressors; (ii) lack of commercial strains adapted to dryland/pasture land; (iii) many effective synthetic fungicides are progressively being phased-out, hence there is a lack of effective means to control plant pathogens; (iv) increased public awareness on the need to improve plant health by reducing chemical inputs.      

The proposed practical solution shall be used in marginal agricultural settings, such as drylands and pasture lands that are particularly sensitive to climate variability. Drought exposure reduces plant resilience to other abiotic and biotic stresses, hence amplifying their negative impact on plant productivity, carbon sequestration potential and ecosystem function. Moreover, adoption of control measures based on synthetic pesticides may be either unaffordable or ecologically unsound under these conditions, therefore bio-based solutions may represent the most sustainable choice.

The adoption of microbial-based solutions by the end users requires basic technical knowledge on microorganisms, their nutritional needs and ecological constraints. This is a prerequisite to boost the biological properties of the inoculum and maximise the positive impact of the selected microbial formulation. Similarly, the mass production of Trichoderma (as any other microbial-based formulation) requires equipped laboratories and facilities and skilled personnel to warrant quality, purity and genetic stability of the active ingredient as well as a shelf life of the formulated antagonist of at least 6 months. These actions require substantial investments in R&D. 

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