Use in a controlled environment of Trichoderma asperellum ICC012 and Trichoderma gamsii ICC080 to manage FHB on common wheat

Marco Cesarini; Arianna Petrucci; Eliverta Hotaj; Giovanni Venturini; Riccardo Liguori; Sabrina Sarrocco

doi:10.1016/j.micres.2024.127941

Use in a controlled environment of Trichoderma asperellum ICC012 and Trichoderma gamsii ICC080 to manage FHB on common wheat

Microbiol Res. 2024 Oct 24:290:127941. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127941. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Marco Cesarini¹, Arianna Petrucci², Eliverta Hotaj¹, Giovanni Venturini³, Riccardo Liguori³, Sabrina Sarrocco⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Italy.
² Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Italy; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
³ Gowan Novara Isagro S.p.A. - Research Center Renato Ugo, Novara, Italy.
⁴ Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: sabrina.sarrocco@unipi.it.

PMID: 39503079
DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127941

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB) represents a significant threat for wheat production due to the risk for food security and safety. Despite the huge number of biofungicides on the market, only one is actually available at European level to control Fusarium infections on cereals. The present work aimed to assess the possible use of Trichoderma asperellum strain ICC012 and Trichoderma gamsii strain ICC080 to manage FHB on common wheat Triticum aestivum cv Apogee. Initially, the capability of ICC012 and ICC080 to endophytically colonize wheat roots, a prerequisite very often correlated with the induction of resistance in the host plant, was investigated. It resulted in 100 % of roots internally colonized by the two strains, followed by a significant up-regulation of the defense-related genes encoding for pathogenesis-related protein 1 (pr1), superoxide dismutase (sod), polygalacturonase inhibitor protein 2 (pgip2) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 1 (pal1). When the expression of the same genes was investigated in spikes treated at the flowering stage with the two strains, applied individually or co-inoculated, a significant up-regulation of only pal1 was registered 24 hours post inoculation (hpi) in spikes treated with ICC080. To check if a systemic defense response was induced, the expression of the same genes was analyzed in leaves collected 7 and 14 days post inoculation (dpi) of roots, resulting in a significant up-regulation of sod at 7 dpi in leaves collected from plants inoculated with ICC012. Even if induction of resistance is probably not the main mode of action of the two strains, ICC012 and ICC080 applied on spikes at anthesis significantly reduced, in greenhouse conditions, the Disease Incidence (DI) caused by the inoculation mix of F. graminearum, F. culmorum, F. langsethiae and F. sporotrichioides, four of the most important FHB casual agents. This reduction in disease symptoms was observed when the two beneficial strains were applied both individually and co-inoculated on the spikes. Finally, ICC012 and ICC080 demonstrated a good competitive ability for substrate possession. The amount of F. graminearum (as DNA and number of perithecia) on wheat straw pieces was significantly reduced after 6 months of incubation in presence of the two beneficial strains, applied individually and co-inoculated. Being cultural debris used to overwinter, this competitive behavior of ICC012 and ICC080 is an important trait to reduce the potential inoculum of the pathogen. The results collected here lay the groundwork for the use of ICC012 and ICC080 in managing FHB on common wheat.

Keywords: Biofungicide; Biological control; Fusarium head blight; Trichoderma; Triticum aestivum.