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Ilex paraguariensis Hosts Root-Trichoderma spp. with Plant-Growth-Promoting Traits: Characterization as Biological Control Agents and Biofertilizers

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Abstract

In this study, the effect of native plant-growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) as bio-inoculants was assessed as an alternative to improve Ilex paraguariensis Saint Hilaire growth in the nursery. Fourteen Trichoderma strains isolated from yerba mate roots were evaluated in vitro for their potential as biological control agents (BCA) and PGPM. The PGPM properties were evaluated through the strain’s antagonistic activity against three fungal pathogens (Alternaria sp., F. oxysporum, and F. solani) plus the production of extracellular cell-wall-degrading enzymes such as chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, and cellulase. These results were used to calculate different PGPM indices to select the strains with the optimal properties. Four Trichoderma strains: T. asperelloides LBM193, LBM204, LBM206, and Trichoderma sp. LBM202, were selected based on their indirect and direct PGPM properties used in an inoculation assay on yerba mate plants in greenhouse conditions. A highly significant positive effect of bio-inoculation with these Trichoderma strains was observed in one-year-old yerba mate seedlings. Inoculated plants exhibited a greater height, chlorophyll content, and dry weight than un-inoculated plants; those treated with LBM193 manifested the best results. Yerba mate plants treated with LBM202 exhibited a healthy appearance and were more vigorous, showing potential for biocontrol agent. In conclusion, yerba mate seedlings in the Misiones region were found to have a reservoir of Trichoderma species that increases the yield of this crop in the nursery and protects them from adverse biotic and abiotic agents.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Notes

  1. The inclusion of API in the PCA allows us to use the direct antagonism data of each Trichoderma strain simply in an index value.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Alberto Roth Foundation for providing the yerba mate plants for the fungal strains and the greenhouse use in the inoculation assays. We thank Dr. Marcela Sadañoski and his research group for the physicochemical soil analysis. We thank Edgar Poletto for providing the root pathogens. Dr. Donald F. Haggerty, a retired academic career investigator, and native English speaker, edited the final version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was funded by an innovation project “Universidades Agregando Valor 2017” award N°4285-APN-SECPU#ME/17 provided by the Science and Technology Secretary, Misiones National University and, the PICT-START UP 2017-0007 project granted by the National Agency of Scientific and Technological Promotion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales, Instituto de Biotecnología Misiones “Dra. María Ebe Reca”, Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Ruta Nacional 12 Km 7, 5, Misiones, C.P. 3300, Argentina

    Ana C. López, Ernesto M. Giorgio, Manuela L. Vereschuk, Pedro D. Zapata & Adriana E. Alvarenga

  2. CONICET, Godoy Cruz 2290, CABA, Argentina

    Ana C. López, Manuela L. Vereschuk, Pedro D. Zapata & Adriana E. Alvarenga

  3. Centro de Investigación Y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales (CINDEFI), CCT-La Plata CONICET, CIC-PBA, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 115 Y 50 N° 227, C.P. 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María F. Luna

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  1. Ana C. López
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  2. Ernesto M. Giorgio
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  3. Manuela L. Vereschuk
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  4. Pedro D. Zapata
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  6. Adriana E. Alvarenga
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by ACL. The first draft of the manuscript was written by ACL, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ana C. López.

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López, A.C., Giorgio, E.M., Vereschuk, M.L. et al. Ilex paraguariensis Hosts Root-Trichoderma spp. with Plant-Growth-Promoting Traits: Characterization as Biological Control Agents and Biofertilizers. Curr Microbiol 80, 120 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03231-1

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