Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens
Cacao farming worldwide suffers from damaging fungal infections, including those caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Pestalotiopsis spp., which prioritizes the development of sustainable control solutions. This study evaluated the in vitro antagonistic potential of three Trichoderma strains...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Biological Control |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964425001173 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849704733494738944 |
|---|---|
| author | Insuck Baek Jishnu Bhatt Jae Hee Jang Seunghyun Lim Amelia Lovelace Minhyeok Cha Dilip Lakshman Moon S. Kim Lyndel W. Meinhardt Sunchung Park Ezekiel Ahn |
| author_facet | Insuck Baek Jishnu Bhatt Jae Hee Jang Seunghyun Lim Amelia Lovelace Minhyeok Cha Dilip Lakshman Moon S. Kim Lyndel W. Meinhardt Sunchung Park Ezekiel Ahn |
| author_sort | Insuck Baek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cacao farming worldwide suffers from damaging fungal infections, including those caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Pestalotiopsis spp., which prioritizes the development of sustainable control solutions. This study evaluated the in vitro antagonistic potential of three Trichoderma strains (T. virens 11C-65-1, T. virens 29-8, Trichoderma spp. RC) against six cacao pathogen isolates from Ghana. Dual culture assays, detailed morphological analysis of both antagonist and pathogen, volatile organic compound (VOC) assays (comparing standard plug vs. pre-grown biomass methods), and the effect of UVC pretreatment were investigated. Multivariate statistics and machine learning were employed to analyze interaction dynamics and predict outcomes. All tested Trichoderma strains significantly inhibited pathogen growth, with efficacy varying notably: 11C-65-1 > RC > 29-8. Significant morphological changes were observed in both interacting fungi. Machine learning models predicted pathogen colony size with high accuracy (test set R2 up to 0.94), identifying the specific Trichoderma-pathogen pair identity and Trichoderma circularity as the most crucial predictors. VOCs contributed to inhibition, and using a larger Trichoderma biomass drastically increased antagonistic effects, likely through combined VOC action and physical interaction. UVC pretreatment induced statistically significant but minimal morphological changes under the tested conditions. Multivariate analyses linked Trichoderma strain identity strongly with the resulting circularity of both antagonist and pathogen. Key takeaways from this research are the pronounced strain specificity governing Trichoderma antagonism, the indication of multiple active mechanisms, the relevance of morphology in these fungal battles, and the identification of T. virens 11C-65-1 as a strong prospect for biocontrol application against cacao pathogens, offering a data-driven approach for selecting effective biocontrol agents in other agricultural systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54fc3fcb9ff44c1e8fe62a46b6e2c607 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1049-9644 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biological Control |
| spelling | doaj-art-54fc3fcb9ff44c1e8fe62a46b6e2c6072025-08-20T03:16:39ZengElsevierBiological Control1049-96442025-08-0120710580710.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105807Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogensInsuck Baek0Jishnu Bhatt1Jae Hee Jang2Seunghyun Lim3Amelia Lovelace4Minhyeok Cha5Dilip Lakshman6Moon S. Kim7Lyndel W. Meinhardt8Sunchung Park9Ezekiel Ahn10Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USAEnvironmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USAMolecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USAEnvironmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States, Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; Corresponding author.Cacao farming worldwide suffers from damaging fungal infections, including those caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Pestalotiopsis spp., which prioritizes the development of sustainable control solutions. This study evaluated the in vitro antagonistic potential of three Trichoderma strains (T. virens 11C-65-1, T. virens 29-8, Trichoderma spp. RC) against six cacao pathogen isolates from Ghana. Dual culture assays, detailed morphological analysis of both antagonist and pathogen, volatile organic compound (VOC) assays (comparing standard plug vs. pre-grown biomass methods), and the effect of UVC pretreatment were investigated. Multivariate statistics and machine learning were employed to analyze interaction dynamics and predict outcomes. All tested Trichoderma strains significantly inhibited pathogen growth, with efficacy varying notably: 11C-65-1 > RC > 29-8. Significant morphological changes were observed in both interacting fungi. Machine learning models predicted pathogen colony size with high accuracy (test set R2 up to 0.94), identifying the specific Trichoderma-pathogen pair identity and Trichoderma circularity as the most crucial predictors. VOCs contributed to inhibition, and using a larger Trichoderma biomass drastically increased antagonistic effects, likely through combined VOC action and physical interaction. UVC pretreatment induced statistically significant but minimal morphological changes under the tested conditions. Multivariate analyses linked Trichoderma strain identity strongly with the resulting circularity of both antagonist and pathogen. Key takeaways from this research are the pronounced strain specificity governing Trichoderma antagonism, the indication of multiple active mechanisms, the relevance of morphology in these fungal battles, and the identification of T. virens 11C-65-1 as a strong prospect for biocontrol application against cacao pathogens, offering a data-driven approach for selecting effective biocontrol agents in other agricultural systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964425001173CacaoColletotrichum gloeosporioidesTrichoderma spp.Biological controlFungal morphologyStrain specificity |
| spellingShingle | Insuck Baek Jishnu Bhatt Jae Hee Jang Seunghyun Lim Amelia Lovelace Minhyeok Cha Dilip Lakshman Moon S. Kim Lyndel W. Meinhardt Sunchung Park Ezekiel Ahn Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens Biological Control Cacao Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Trichoderma spp. Biological control Fungal morphology Strain specificity |
| title | Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens |
| title_full | Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens |
| title_fullStr | Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens |
| title_short | Dissecting Trichoderma antagonism: Role of strain identity, volatiles, biomass, and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens |
| title_sort | dissecting trichoderma antagonism role of strain identity volatiles biomass and morphology in suppressing cacao pathogens |
| topic | Cacao Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Trichoderma spp. Biological control Fungal morphology Strain specificity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964425001173 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT insuckbaek dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT jishnubhatt dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT jaeheejang dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT seunghyunlim dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT amelialovelace dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT minhyeokcha dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT diliplakshman dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT moonskim dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT lyndelwmeinhardt dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT sunchungpark dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens AT ezekielahn dissectingtrichodermaantagonismroleofstrainidentityvolatilesbiomassandmorphologyinsuppressingcacaopathogens |