Biostimulant effect of native Trichoderma strains on the germination of four varieties of basil

Abstract

Objetive/antecedents. Trichoderma is an efficient tool as biostimulant in basil crop. However, only few species have been studied in specific cultivars. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the biostimulant efficacy of native Trichoderma strains on the germination and growth of four varieties of basil. Materials and Methods. Seven strains of Trichoderma (T. asperellum, atroviride, viride, longibrachiatum, harzianum, koningii and Trichoderma sp.), a commercial Trichoderma (T. harzianum), synthetic fertilizer (T17) and the control were used in the study. 30 seeds of the Purple Ruffles, Lemon, Siam Queen and Nufar varieties were treated with a spore suspension of each Trichoderma. 48 h later, the seeds were sown and incubated at 28 °C with a 12 h light/dark photoperiod. The variables evaluated were; Rate and percentage of germination, biomass and length of seedlings. Results. T. atroviride presented the greatest biostimulant effect on germination (95%). While T. asperellum registered an increased efficiency in biomass (≥ 0.120 g) and length (≥ 1.0 cm) of the plant in the four varieties. The action of commercial T. was lower in all cases. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that the native strains of Trichoderma have a biostimulant effect on plants and are more effective than commercial species.