Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Biological activities of native Trichoderma species and their metabolites against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
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Research Articles | Published: 11 December, 2025
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Keywords: n Trichoderman , n Sclerotinia sclerotiorumn , Biocontrol, Secondary metabolites, Growth enhancement activity
Abstract
Present study aimed to evaluate the biological activities (antagonistic and plant growth promotion) of different species of Trichoderma and their crude metabolites against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Firstly, characterization of eight native isolates of Trichoderma species based on morphological and molecular (ITS-based) was done and among them 3 isolates of T. harzianum, 3 isolates of T. longibrachiatum and 2 isolates of T. asperellum were identified. The antagonistic potential of all eight Trichoderma isolates was evaluated by dual culture method, and a gliotoxin-producing isolate, T. asperellum T-21 was found the most effective to inhibit the growth of S. sclerotiorum by 92.7%. Volatile metabolic profile using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was done and GC–MS analysis of ethyl acetate extract identified 28 volatile metabolites classified as fatty acids, fatty alcohols, ketones, esters, sesquiterpenoid, pyrazinoindole, and phenolic compounds. The antifungal assay of the crude extract from T. asperellum T-21 showed maximum inhibition efficiency at lower concentration (2.5 mg/mL), inhibiting S. sclerotiorum growth by 92.65%, while complete growth suppression was observed at 15 mg/mL. In planta study showed that extract of all isolates promotes plant growth parameters including germination percentage, root and shoot length, fresh weight, leaf area and chlorophyll content compared to untreated control. The crude extract from Trichoderma isolates at 3 mg/mL showed better growth enhancement activity than at 5 mg/mL concentration. In conclusion, isolate T. asperellum T-21 exhibited strong antagonistic potential against stem rot disease and demonstrated superior plant growth promotion activity compared to the other Trichoderma isolates.
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Author Information
Division of Plant Pathology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India