Multispecies <i>Trichoderma</i> in Combination with Hydrolyzed Lignin Improve Tomato Growth, Yield, and Nutritional Quality of Fruits
Stefania Lanzuise,
Gelsomina Manganiello,
Cono Vincenzo,
Petronia Carillo,
Vito Macchia,
Suvi Pietarinen,
Giovanna Marta Fusco,
Rosalinda Nicastro,
Matteo Lorito,
Sheridan Lois Woo
Affiliations
Stefania Lanzuise
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Gelsomina Manganiello
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Cono Vincenzo
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Petronia Carillo
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Vito Macchia
Green Innovation GMBH, Grabenweg 68, 6020 Innsbruch, Austria
Suvi Pietarinen
UPM-Kymmene Oyj, Alvar Aallon katu 1, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland
Giovanna Marta Fusco
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Rosalinda Nicastro
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Matteo Lorito
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Sheridan Lois Woo
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
The application of biological pesticides as alternatives to chemical phytosanitary products is a natural and innovative method to improve environmental protection and sustainable agricultural production. In this work, the compatibility between Trichoderma spp. and a commercial lignin extract was assessed in vitro and in vivo. The beneficial effects of lignin in combination with different Trichoderma consortia were evaluated in terms of improved growth and quantitative and qualitative tomato productivity. T. virens GV41 + T. asperellum + T. atroviride + lignin formulation was the most effective in growth promotion and increased root and stem dry weight compared to control (45.4 and 43.9%, respectively). This combination determined a 63% increase in tomato yield compared to the control, resulting in the best-performing treatment compared to each individual constituent. Consistent differences in terms of lycopene, GABA, ornithine, total, essential, and branched-chain amino acids were revealed in fruits from tomato plants treated with Trichoderma–lignin formulations (T. asperellum + T. virens GV41 + lignin) or with the microbial consortia (T. asperellum + T. virens GV41, T. atroviride + T. virens GV41). The developed bioformulations represent a sustainable biological strategy to increase yield and produce nutritional compound-enriched vegetables.
