Identification of beneficial Lebanese Trichoderma spp. wheat endophytes

Naeif Matar; Catherine Macadré; Gamal A G Ammar; Alexis Peres; Boris Collet; Naim El Boustany; Loïc Rajjou; Falah As-Sadi; Marie Dufresne; Pascal Ratet

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.1017890

Identification of beneficial Lebanese Trichoderma spp. wheat endophytes

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Dec 2:13:1017890. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1017890. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Naeif Matar^{1

2

3}, Catherine Macadré^{1

2}, Gamal A G Ammar^{1

2

4}, Alexis Peres^{1

2}, Boris Collet⁵, Naim El Boustany⁶, Loïc Rajjou⁵, Falah As-Sadi^{3

7}, Marie Dufresne^{1

2}, Pascal Ratet^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, INRAE, Univ Evry, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France.
² Université de Paris, Institute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2), Orsay, France.
³ Department of Life & Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Laboratory of Microbiology, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁴ Biotechnology Unit, Plant Production Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁵ Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), Versailles, France.
⁶ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁷ The Lebanese University, Faculty of Agronomy, Beirut, Lebanon.

Abstract

Wheat is one of the most important crops in the world. Its production can be influenced by a diversity of beneficial and pathogenic rhizospheric microbes, including fungi. Amongst them, beneficial Trichoderma spp. can be used as alternatives to chemical fertilizers, as they are cheap and harmless to the environment. Our study aimed to isolate, identify, and characterize Trichoderma spp. from Lebanon associated with wheat. Two Trichoderma strains belonging to T. afroharzianum, and T. guizhouense species, were isolated and found to be endophytes, enhancing root growth and producing Indole-3-acetic acid. Inoculation also improved seedling development, and increased plant growth and yield. Furthermore, the two strains inhibit Fusarium growth in vitro. These Trichoderma spp. have thus the capacity to be used as organic fertilizers for wheat.

Keywords: 3-indole-acetic acid; antifungal activity; auxins; plant root growth promotion; wheat yield.