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Biological Control of Potato Late Blight Using Isolates of Trichoderma

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Abstract

Potato late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans is a most destructive plant pathogen and can lead to serious economic losses in potato. Some strains of the Trichoderma genus can act as potential biocontrol agents and are able to control many plant disease in crops. The present study was carried out to screen effective Trichoderma isolates against P. infestans and to study the potential modes of action involved. In vitro bioassays between P. infestans and Trichoderma isolates demonstrated that the P. infestans colony was significantly inhibited and overgrown by Trichoderma isolates. Antifungal metabolites produced by the isolate HNA14 significantly prevented the linear growth of the P. infestans colony. Mycoparasitism appeared to contribute to the aggressive nature of the Trichoderma isolate HNA14 against P. infestans when observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). In planta bioassay, the isolate HNA14 significantly reduced the disease index, increased the plant stem height, and foliar fresh and dry weight. Under field conditions, the Trichoderma isolate HNA14 was the most efficient against the pathogen out of all Trichoderma strains, and significantly reduced the disease severity compared to the control. Collectively, the strategic approach described in this paper demonstrates an effective way of screening a biocontrol agent for control of potato pathogens.

Resumen

El tizón tardío de la papa, causado por Phytophthora infestans, es el fitopatógeno más destructivo, puede llevar a pérdidas económicas serias en papa. Algunas variantes del género Trichoderma pueden actuar como agentes potenciales de biocontrol, y son capaces de controlar muchas enfermedades de las plantas en los cultivos. El presente estudio se condujo para evaluar aislamientos válidos de Trichoderma contra P. infestans, para estudiar modos de acción potenciales involucrados. Bioensayos in vitro entre aislamientos de P. infestans y Trichoderma demostraron que la Colonia de P. infestans se inhibió significativamente y fue superada en crecimiento por los aislamientos de Trichoderma. Los metabolitos antifungicos producidos por el aislamiento HNA14 inhibieron significativamente el crecimiento lineal de la Colonia de P. infestans. El micoparasitismo pareció contribuir a la naturaleza agresiva del aislamiento HNA14 contra P. infestans cuando se observó bajo el microscopio electrónico de rastreo (SEM). En bioensayo en planta, el aislamiento HNA14 redujo significativamente el índice de severidad de la enfermedad y aumentó la altura del tallo de la planta y los pesos fresco y seco. Bajo condiciones de campo, el aislamiento de Trichoderma HNA14 fue el más eficiente contra el patógeno de todas las variantes de Trichoderma, y redujo significativamente la severidad de la enfermedad en comparación con el testigo. Colectivamente, el enfoque estratégico descrito en este artículo demuestra una manera efectiva de evaluar al agente de biocontrol para controlar patógenos de papa.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Program for Beijing Excellent Talent (Grant No. 2012D009007000001) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant number: 2011AA10A201). We are also sincerely thankful to the Plant Pathology Dept., China Agricultural Univ., China, for the technical support provided over the course of this study. The field experiment described in this article was carried out at the experimental farm of the Rongchang Agricultural Experiment Station in the city of Chongqing, which was in Sourthwest China. We are very grateful Shanqin Xuan head of station for agronomic help and valuable suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The MOA Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Yanpo Yao, Yan Li, Ben Niu & Qi Wang

  2. College of Life Science, Linyi University, Linyi, 276005, China

    Zhiqun Chen

  3. Quality Monitoring Center of Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Products, Tangshan Bureau Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Tangshan, 063000, China

    Baiqin Zheng, Litian Zhang, Junli Meng, Aijun Li & Jianmin Zhang

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  1. Yanpo Yao
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  2. Yan Li
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  9. Jianmin Zhang
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  10. Qi Wang
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Correspondence to Qi Wang.

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Yao, Y., Li, Y., Chen, Z. et al. Biological Control of Potato Late Blight Using Isolates of Trichoderma . Am. J. Potato Res. 93, 33–42 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-015-9475-3

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