<i>Trichoderma</i>-Bioenriched Vermicompost Induces Defense Response and Promotes Plant Growth in Thai Rice Variety “Chor Khing”

Abstract

Vermicompost (VC) produced by African nightcrawler earthworms (Eudrilus eugeniae) is a natural fertilizer with a rich microbial community. Trichoderma asperelloides PSU-P1 is an effective antagonistic microorganism with multifaceted activity mechanisms. This research aimed to develop Trichoderma-bioenriched vermicompost (TBVC) to promote plant growth and induce the defense response in the Thai rice variety “Chor Khing”. T. asperelloides PSU-P1 was tested against Rhizoctonia solani, the pathogen of sheath blight disease, using a dual-culture assay. The results showed that T. asperelloides PSU-P1 effectively inhibited R. solani in vitro growth by 70.48%. The TBVC was prepared by adding a conidial suspension (108 conidia/mL) to vermicompost. The viability of Trichoderma persisted in the vermicompost for 6 months and ranged from 1.2 to 2.8 × 107 CFU/mL. Vermicompost water extracts significantly enhanced seed germination, root length, and shoot length compared to a control group (p p R. solani in comparison with control rice (p Trichoderma was more prevalent in the TBVC than in the VC. Our results indicate that the enrichment of VC with Trichoderma increases growth, enhances the defense response, and reduces the incidence of sheath blight disease in the Thai rice variety “Chor Khing”.

Keywords

• biocontrol agent
• disease resistance
• vermicompost
• <i>Trichoderma asperelloides</i>
• mycobiota