Trichoderma
A fungus that parasitises other fungi, and one of the few biocontrol agents with a mechanism you can watch under a microscope.
What is trichoderma?
Trichoderma is a genus of fast-growing soil fungi, widely distributed and long used in agriculture and industry. Trichoderma harzianum is the species most used in biocontrol; Trichoderma reesei is best known industrially as a cellulase producer, and its presence in a soil product points toward organic matter breakdown rather than direct antagonism.
How does trichoderma work?
Mycoparasitism is the headline mechanism and an unusually direct one: Trichoderma hyphae grow toward a host fungus, coil around its hyphae, secrete cell-wall-degrading enzymes including chitinases and glucanases, and penetrate and consume it. It is visible and specific.
Alongside that, Trichoderma competes aggressively for space and nutrients, produces antifungal secondary metabolites, and induces systemic resistance in colonised plants. Some strains also improve root architecture and nutrient uptake, and solubilise micronutrients.
What does trichoderma not do?
Establishment-dependent and preventive, like other microbial agents — it must be present before or as pathogen pressure develops. It is not effective against bacterial or viral disease. It can be suppressed by fungicides, which creates a real programme-compatibility question that any honest recommendation must address: applying a systemic fungicide and a Trichoderma inoculant together will often waste one of them. And it does not persist indefinitely; reapplication is normal.
Is trichoderma safe?
Very low risk to humans, animals and plants, with a long history of agricultural use and acceptance in organic programmes. Avoid inhaling concentrated spore preparations. A small number of Trichoderma species are opportunistic pathogens in severely immunocompromised people, which is a handling note rather than a product concern.
Where does trichoderma appear in the range?
Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma reesei are two of the eleven strains in Charge BioBoost.