Trichoderma spp. strains: growth and interaction at different temperatures

Abstract

The paper examines the growth of Trichoderma spp. strains and their interaction at different temperatures. Trichoderma spp. is a genus of microscopic ascomycetes; these fungi belong to different ecosystems and are found in soil (rhizosphere). The study aims to analyze and compare the characteristics pertaining to the growth of Trichoderma species and the interaction between them. The experiments used the following media: a Czapek medium and a medium simulating plant root exudates (Cucumis sativus). The growth rate of Trichoderma spp. strains was determined at different temperatures. The use of a medium containing plant exudate models provided a different growth rate as compared to that obtained when using a rich growth medium; some variations in the macromorphology of colonies were also observed. The growth of Trichoderma longibrachiatum F2124 and Trichoderma viride F2001 strains was detected at 9 °С on the Czapek medium, while only the Trichoderma longibrachiatum F2124 strain was observed to grow on the medium simulating exudates. A significant growth inhibition was noted at 40 °С for all strains, except for Trichoderma longibrachiatum species. No colony growth was observed at 50 °С. All the strains grew within the temperature range of 12 to 28 °С. It was assumed that Trichoderma species growing in various media may interact differently with each other. Interaction between the three strains of Trichoderma spp. was examined via the surface culture method under different temperature conditions. The study found no significant differences in the interaction between the Trichoderma species.