<i>Trichoderma</i> Species: Our Best Fungal Allies in the Biocontrol of Plant Diseases—A Review
Paulina Guzmán-Guzmán,
Ajay Kumar,
Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos,
Fannie I. Parra-Cota,
Ma. del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda,
Ayomide Emmanuel Fadiji,
Sajjad Hyder,
Olubukola Oluranti Babalola,
Gustavo Santoyo
Affiliations
Paulina Guzmán-Guzmán
Instituto de Investigaciones Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia 58030, Mexico
Ajay Kumar
Department of Postharvest Science, ARO, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos
Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON), Ciudad Obregón 85000, Mexico
Fannie I. Parra-Cota
Campo Experimental Norman E. Borlaug, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Ciudad Obregón 85000, Mexico
Ma. del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda
Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Tecnológico Nacional de México en Celaya, Celaya 38010, Mexico
Ayomide Emmanuel Fadiji
Food Security and Safety Focus Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
Sajjad Hyder
Department of Botany, Government College Women University Sialkot, Sialkot 51310, Pakistan
Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
Food Security and Safety Focus Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
Gustavo Santoyo
Instituto de Investigaciones Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia 58030, Mexico
Biocontrol agents (BCA) have been an important tool in agriculture to prevent crop losses due to plant pathogens infections and to increase plant food production globally, diminishing the necessity for chemical pesticides and fertilizers and offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option. Fungi from the genus Trichoderma are among the most used and studied microorganisms as BCA due to the variety of biocontrol traits, such as parasitism, antibiosis, secondary metabolites (SM) production, and plant defense system induction. Several Trichoderma species are well-known mycoparasites. However, some of those species can antagonize other organisms such as nematodes and plant pests, making this fungus a very versatile BCA. Trichoderma has been used in agriculture as part of innovative bioformulations, either just Trichoderma species or in combination with other plant-beneficial microbes, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Here, we review the most recent literature regarding the biocontrol studies about six of the most used Trichoderma species, T. atroviride, T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. virens, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride, highlighting their biocontrol traits and the use of these fungal genera in Trichoderma-based formulations to control or prevent plant diseases, and their importance as a substitute for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
