Use of Trichoderma in disease management of crop plants caused by soil borne phytopathogenic fungi

Abstract

Biological management of soil-borne phytopathogen is a potential alternative to the use of chemical pesticides, which have already been proved to be harmful to the environment. Several species of the genus Trichoderma have been isolated and found to be effective biocontrol agents of various soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi under greenhouse and field conditions. Different application approaches have been used including integration of Trichoderma with reduced doses of chemical agents. Biochemical and molecular biology studies carried out to explore the mechanisms involved in biological control revealed that Trichoderma is a rather specific mycoparasitism, antibiosis and competition and rhizosphere competence. Lectins were found to be involved in the recognition between Trichoderma and its host fungi, whereas chitinase is involved in the degradation of the host cell wall. Genetic engineering techniques were employed in order to increase the effectiveness, stability and biocontrol efficacy of Trichoderma spp. as well as other biocontrol agents used as disease management of economically important crop plants caused by soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi viz., Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Phytopthora, Sclerotinia, Sclerotium and Macrophomina, resulting in heavy losse