Trichoderma harzianum, a potential biocontrol agent for Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in apples

This study investigated the biocontrol ability of Trichoderma harzianum CGMCC20739 (Tha739) against apple bitter rot caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. In vitro tests, Tha739 inhibited the mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides. Microscopic observation showed that Tha739 grew in parallel with, coiled around, and deformed the hyphae of C. gloeosporioides. Tha739-derived metabolites decreased the conidia production of C. gloeosporioides. In vivo tests, the lesion diameters of wounded apples treated with Tha739 1 h before C. gloeosporioides were lower than those of wounded apples treated with Tha739 after pathogen inoculation. In addition, compared with the apples inoculated with C. gloeosporioides only, the disease index of unwounded apples inoculated with Tha739 and C. gloeosporioides decreased by 2.17-fold. Furthermore, compared with the control, the total soluble solid contents of apples treated with Tha739 were 9.02 % and 1.54 % higher at 1 and 3 d, respectively. The titratable acidity contents of apples treated with Tha739 were 10.02 % and 14.58 % higher than those in the control at 1 and 3 d after treatment, respectively. The soluble sugar content and weight loss in Tha739 treatment group and control were not significantly different. The results showed that Tha739 could control apple bitter rot and maintain the nutritional quality of the fruit. Thus, T. harzianum Tha739 is a potentially biocontrol agent for harvested apples. SourcesBiocontrol potential of Trichoderma harzianum CGMCC20739 (Tha739) against postharvest bitter rot of applesHuifang Zhang, Ning Kong, Bin Liu, Yongfeng Yang, Caihua Li, Jinyu Qi, Yue Ma, Shida Ji & Zhihua LiuMicrobiological Research Volume 265, December 2022, 127182https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2022.127182https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944501322002221#! Picture, Hongos Trichoderma Harzianum para el cultivo de marihuana, https://www.semillas-de-marihuana.com/blog/trichoderma-harzianum/