SoluBio invests in Trichoderma-based bioinputs

The Brazilian on-farm bioinput production company SoluBio has invested significantly to create biological inputs and formulations based on Trichoderma.

Fungi of this genus (Hipocrales, Ascomycota) are among the most studied microorganisms in the world as biocontrol agents for phytopathogens and also as plant growth promoters.

Currently, the company has three types of bioinputs made from Trichoderma: the first is TrikoFit (Trichoderma harzianum, strain IB19/17), for seed treatment and protection against soil pathogens.

The second is Biogreen (Trichoderma harzianum, strain IB19/17), for aerial spraying or application in the planting furrow in a wettable powder formulation.

The third is TrikoSoil, in granular formulation for dispersion by broadcast or in fertilizer, with four strains of Trichoderma spp. in its composition – two strains of Trichoderma harzianum, IBLF1228 and IBLF1282 and two of Trichoderma viride, IBLF1275, and IBLF1276).

According to the phytopathologist and Specialist Manager of Fungi at Solubio, Doctor Magno Rodrigues de Carvalho Filho, the concept of disease control in agriculture has changed in recent decades.

″Previously, the objective was to eliminate the pathogen with the indiscriminate and continuous use of chemical products without measuring the consequences. This procedure caused changes in the environment, such as the selection of resistant pathogens, the occurrence of outbreaks of diseases considered secondary, and the reduction of beneficial microorganisms, in addition to the harmful effects on humans, animals, and on environmental quality, with the increasing accumulation of residues in the soil, water and food,″ he said.

Nowadays, there has been a ″growing concern, all over the world, with the environmental problems arising from the various human activities, including agriculture,″ the specialist added.

″This concern, which translates into the search for 'clean' agriculture, food without waste, and conservation of natural resources, demands new technologies based on ecological and sustainability concepts. Biological control adjusts to these concepts, which is why it has been gaining more space in recent years,″ Carvalho Filho explained.

The successful use of species of Trichoderma spp. in the biocontrol of phytopathogens lies in its high reproductive capacity, ability to survive in unfavorable conditions and efficiency in the mobilization and absorption of nutrients (such as phosphate).

It can also modify the rhizosphere (acidification by the production of organic acids), aggressiveness against phytopathogenic fungi, and efficiency as a promoter of plant development and stimulation of their defense mechanisms.

In addition to the effects of Trichoderma spp. in the control of plant pathogens, throughout the studies carried out by the scientific team at SoluBio, it has been observed that certain strains of Trichoderma have the ability to establish themselves in the rhizosphere and directly stimulate plant growth.

″Thus, these fungi have been standing out as plant growth promoters and in increasing seed germination. Among other advantages, some strains of Trichoderma became resistant to fungicides when exposed to them; such resistant strains, when antagonistic to a particular pathogen, can be used together with fungicides to control diseases,″ the Specialist Manager of Fungi explained.

Another relevant characteristic in the application of Trichoderma in the biocontrol of diseases is its behavior as an endophyte. That is, some strains of Trichoderma spp. can penetrate intercellularly into plant roots without causing disease or agronomic damage, thus suggesting that characteristics linked to protection against phytopathogens and fungal production of plant hormones such as indoleacetic acid (IAA) are coevolution of these beneficial fungi with plants.

SoluBio's objective, when ″flooding″ the crops with Trichoderma is to reduce the inoculum density or the activities that determine the disease caused by a pathogen or parasitizing its states of activity or dormancy by the mass introduction of its spores.

This ″flooding″ method using Trichoderma has been used successfully to control several phytopathogens in the large grain, feather, vegetable, fruit, and forestry crops of the company's customers.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)

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