95% chemical methods are still used in traditional agriculture to protect crops against pests. However, the use of organic pesticides is increasing more and more as an alternative. Some organic pesticides contain live Trichoderma fungal spores that have the ability to suppress other pathogens .
Researchers at the University of Göttingen have discovered that a type of Trichoderma can cause severe rot in corncobs. The results were published in the journal Frontiers in Agronomy.
A previously unknown strain of Trichoderma on a corncob in Europe was first detected in Southern Germany in 2018. Grey-green spore layers formed on the affected plants, on the corn kernels and between the leaves forming the bark of the cobs, and in addition, the infested grains germinated prematurely. For this study, the scientists brought greenhouse maize plants into contact with Trichoderma by grafting.
They were then able to prove that the dry matter content of the corncobs was greatly reduced. Annette Pfordt, a doctoral student in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Göttingen and first author of the study, analyzed 18 individual strains of Trichoderma from corn cobs in Southern Germany and France over the course of two years.
Related Products
He found that some of these species are quite aggressive, with a 95 to 100 percent cob infestation. Through molecular genetic analyses, these spores can be assigned to the relatively new species Trichoderma afroharzianum. Within this fungal species, previously unknown plant-pathogenic species were observed to evolve, and these were found to be diseases affecting maize.
In vegetable growing, "Trichodermas" can be used to control diseases such as Botrytis (gray mold) or Fusarium and to reduce rotting pathogens in crop products. Various organic products containing Trichoderma are available in the market and they are only used in organic farming. Trichoderma species belong to the ascomycetes and are found worldwide in soil, plant roots, decaying plant debris and wood. Acting as decomposers of substrates and antagonists of other microorganisms, Trichodermales were first identified as pathogens on plants.
Gray-green spore coatings form on affected plants, on grains, and between the lysoids of the cobs.
Researchers at the University of Göttingen have found that spores of the Trichoderma fungus found in some biological pesticides can cause severe cob rot in maize.