Trichoderma spp. from Misiones, Argentina: effective fungi to promote plant growth of the regional crop Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil

Ana Clara López; Adriana Elizabet Alvarenga; Pedro Darío Zapata; María Flavia Luna; Laura Lidia Villalba

doi:10.1080/21501203.2019.1606860

Trichoderma spp. from Misiones, Argentina: effective fungi to promote plant growth of the regional crop Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil

Mycology. 2019 Apr 22;10(4):210-221. doi: 10.1080/21501203.2019.1606860. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Ana Clara López¹, Adriana Elizabet Alvarenga¹, Pedro Darío Zapata¹, María Flavia Luna², Laura Lidia Villalba¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología Misiones "Dra. Maria Ebe Reca", Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, CONICET, Posadas, Argentina.
² Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales (CINDEFI), CCT-La Plata CONICET, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina.

Abstract

Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil (yerba mate) is an important crop in the north of Argentina, mainly in Misiones province. The application of Trichoderma as a biocontroller and biofertilizer can replace or reduce the use of agrochemicals, decreasing the negative ecological impact. In this research, we evaluated in vitro and in vivo antagonistic and plant growth promoting (PGP) properties of Trichoderma species isolated from different regions of Misiones province. Dual culture assays of Trichoderma against phytopathogenic fungi associated with yerba mate showed that T. stilbohypoxyli LBM 120 was the most effective antagonist, inhibiting in more than 75% all phytopathogen growth. Trichoderma atroviride LBM 112 and T. stilbohypoxyli LBM 120 were positive on endoglucanase, protease, chitinase, siderophore production, and phosphate solubilisation showed the best biological control agents and PGP properties. The PGP properties of Trichoderma spp. evaluated in vivo on yerba mate seedlings showed that T. atroviride LBM 112, T. stilbohypoxyli LBM 120, and T. koningiopsis LBM 219 enhanced plant dry weight over 47% in total and 24% in the aerial part. Moreover, T. koningiopsis LBM 219 increased root dry weight 25% in contrast with in vitro controls. In conclusion, native Trichoderma strains could be a sustainable solution to improve yerba mate yield.

Keywords: Ilex paraguariensis; Trichoderma; biological control; plant growth promotion.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Programa de Asistencia al Sector Yerbatero (PRASY), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Instituto Nacional de la Yerba mate (INYM).