Trichoderma: Biodiversity, Ecological Significances, and Industrial Applications

The genus Trichoderma is ubiquitous in the environment, particularly in soils. Trichoderma species could be readily isolated from soil by all available conventional methods, largely because they grow rapidly and also because of their abundant conidiation. Based on the phylogenetic study, several researchers reported that Trichoderma and Hypocrea form a single holomorph genus, within which two major clades can be distinguished. The species of Trichoderma possess diverse biotechnological applications such as they act as biofungicide for controlling various plant diseases, as biofertilizers for plant growth promotion. Trichoderma secrete diverse volatile compounds including alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, ethylene, hydrogen cyanide, and monoterpenes, as well as nonvolatile compounds including peptaibols and diketopiperazine-like gliotoxin and gliovirin which are known to exhibit antibiotic activity. The interaction of Trichoderma with the host plant results in parasitism/predation; production of antibiotic is combined with mycoparasitism (penetration and infection), production of cell wall-degrading enzymes or lytic enzymes, competition for nutrients or for space, and establishment of induced resistance in the plant.