Benefits of Trichoderma in Agriculture

Benefits of Trichoderma

In nature, soil contains many microorganisms living together. They compete with each other for living space and nutrients. Some microorganisms cause diseases to plants, others are organisms that decompose organic matter but do not harm plants, the rest help plants by antagonizing pathogenic microorganisms or enhancing the disease resistance of plants, Trichoderma belongs to this group, they live on plant residues and organic matter in the soil but do not harm plants, some species of Trichoderma are capable of parasitizing fungi that cause diseases to plants. Some Trichoderma species are capable of parasitizing fungi that cause diseases to plants. Pathogenic fungi that can be inhibited by Trichoderma: Pythium, Phytophthora, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia and Verticillium. Trichoderma is classified as a small group of fungi, distributed in most types of soil in the world.

Trichoderma has the ability to both decompose cellulose and antagonize plant-borne fungi, so using Trichoderma in fertilizers is a good choice to protect crops, increase income, reduce investment costs and protect the environment.

In addition to the above decomposition properties, the antagonism of Trichoderma has also been known for a long time, the first publication was published in 1887. However, in-depth studies on antagonism and the ability to apply as a method to combat plant pathogens only began between the two world wars. In 1952, Wood reported the antagonism of Trichoderma viride against the lettuce pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Nowadays, people also know how to use Trichoderma to protect plants from root fungal diseases (such as Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia; Phytophthora, …) and diseases in above-ground parts (such as Botrytis cinerea).

In addition to the above advantages, when using Trichoderma spp. There are also other advantages such as:
•    Not harmful to humans and animals
•    Has a wide spectrum of antagonism against fungi that cause diseases on plants
•    Uses many mechanisms to resist pathogenic microorganisms
•    Persists for a long time in the soil thanks to the ability to self-produce spores
•    Develops rapidly in the soil
•    Accelerates the absorption of nutrients and stimulates plant growth

Benefits of Trichoderma:
•    Application in organic fertilizer production
•    Protects plant roots from pathogens
•    Reduces the use of chemical pesticides to kill pathogenic fungi
•  Reduces the use of chemical fertilizers
•  Reduces environmental pollution

Many biological control products have been approved for circulation, in which preparations using Trichoderma are used in many countries (New Zealand, USA, France, Germany, Israel, Thailand, India, Vietnam, …). Trichoderma is widely used in the cultivation of vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, grapes and landscape plants.