Identification of Trichoderma strains from building materials by ITS1 ribotyping, UP-PCR fingerprinting and UP-PCR cross hybridization

To study the role of Trichoderma in sick building syndrome, it is essential to be able to accurately identify species. Forty-four strains of Trichoderma spp. isolated from Danish buildings damaged by water leaks were identified using ITS1 ribotyping and universally primed PCR, UP-PCR. Ribotyping allowed the assignment of the strains into three distinct groups. High similarity of UP-PCR banding profiles of the strains allowed species designation for almost all strains (43 out of 44) when compared with the UP-PCR banding profiles obtained from reference strains of T. atroviride, T. citrinoviride, T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum and T. viride. However, cross hybridization of UP-PCR products showed that the latter strain had high DNA homology to the ex-type strain of T. hamatum. The combined approach is a convenient way for reliable identification of Trichoderma strains.     

Monitoring of Biocontrol Agents Based on Trichoderma Strains Following Their Application to Glasshouse Crops by Combining Dilution Plating with UP-PCR Fingerprinting

Universally primed (UP) PCR analysis was used to characterize strains of Trichoderma spp., which constitute the active ingredients of commercial products for biocontrol of phytopathogens. Several UP primers were able to generate distinct and reproducible fingerprints for each strain, allowing them to be differentiated from a collection of other Trichoderma spp. strains. In order to test whether the UP-PCR method in combination with dilution plating could be useful to detect and enumerate propagules of biocontrol strains of Trichoderma spp. when applied on a commercial scale, sampling was carried out in three commercial glasshouse operations. Dilution plating was carried out using a semi-selective medium and a number of the Trichoderma spp. recovered were subjected to UP-PCR analysis with one selected UP primer. The results showed that the method could be used to identify the isolates from the biocontrol products applied in the different glasshouses. Furthermore, it was found that a biocontrol strain also colonized an untreated bench in one of the glasshouses. The combined methods enable verification of the active ingredient concentration, facilitating monitoring establishment and spread of the Trichoderma strains.     

Strain-specific SCAR markers for the detection of Trichoderma harzianum AS12-2, a biological control agent against Rhizoctonia solani, the causal agent of rice sheath blight

In order to identify a specific marker for T. harzianum AS12-2, a strain capable of controlling rice sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani, UP-PCR was performed using five universal primers (UP) both separately and in pairwise combinations. The application of two UP primers resulted in the amplification of unique fragments from the genomic DNA of T. harzianum AS12-2, clearly distinguishing it from other Trichoderma strains. The unique fragments had no significant sequence homology with any other known sequence available in databases. Based on the sequences of the unique fragments, 14 oligonucleotide primers were designed. Two primer sets amplified a fragment of expected size from the DNA of strain T. harzianum AS12-2 but not from any other examined strains belonging to T. harzianum, to other Trichoderma species assayed, or to other common fungi present in paddy fields of Mazandaran province, Iran. In conclusion, SCAR (sequence characterized amplified regions) markers were successfully identified and rapid, reliable tools were provided for the detection of an effective biocontrol Trichoderma strain, which can facilitate studies of its population dynamics and establishment after release into the natural environment.     

Genetic and metabolic diversity of Trichoderma: a case study on South-East Asian isolates

We have used isolates of Trichoderma spp. collected in South-East Asia, including Taiwan and Western Indonesia, to assess the genetic and metabolic diversity of endemic species of Trichoderma. Ninety-six strains were isolated in total, and identified at the species level by analysis of morphological and biochemical characters (Biolog system), and by sequence analysis of their internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 (ITS1 and 2) of the rDNA cluster, using ex-type strains and taxonomically established isolates of Trichoderma as reference. Seventy-eight isolates were positively identified as Trichoderma harzianum/Trichoderma inhamatum (37 strains) Trichoderma virens (16 strains), Trichoderma spirale (8 strains), Trichoderma koningii (3 strains), Trichoderma atroviride (3 strains), Trichoderma asperellum (4 strains), Hypocrea jecorina (anamorph: Trichoderma reesei; 2 strains), Trichoderma viride (2 strains), Trichoderma hamatum (1 strain), and Trichoderma ghanense (1 strain). Analysis of biochemical characters revealed that T. virens, T. spirale, T. asperellum, T. koningii, H. jecorina, and T. ghanense formed clearly defined clusters, thus exhibiting species-specific metabolic properties. In biochemical character analysis T. atroviride and T. viride formed partially overlapping clusters, indicating that these two species may share overlapping metabolic characteristics. This behavior was even more striking with T. harzianum/T. inhamatum where genotypes defined on the basis of ITS1 and 2 sequences overlapped significantly with adjacent genotypes in the biochemical character analysis, and four strains from the same location (Bali, Indonesia) even clustered with species from section Longibrachiatum. The data indicate that the T. harzianum/T. inhamatum group represents species with high metabolic diversity and partially unique metabolic characteristics. Nineteen strains yielded three different ITS1/2 sequence types which were not alignable with any known species. They were also uniquely characterized by morphological and biochemical characters and therefore represent three new taxa of Trichoderma.     

UP-PCR Genotyping and rDNA Analysis of Ascochyta pisi Lib

Isolates of Ascochyta pisi, previously identified as separate pathotypes, were genotyped by rDNA-RFLP and UP-PCR using 8 UP-primers and 2 arbitrary primers individually or in pair-wise combinations. The appearance of polymorphic UP-PCR products for all studied isolates facilitated their differentiation. The markers were suitable in identifying isolates, and may be useful for developing isolate- or pathotype-specific PCR-based diagnostic assays. In studying genetic relatedness by UP-PCR among A. pisi isolates, two distinct clusters were revealed. rDNA analysis of the isolates based on endo-ntjclease digestion of amplified ITSl and 1TS2-25S nuclear rDNA regions did not separate the isolates, whereas the variabihty of the isolates using UP-PCR was more than 40%.     

M13-microsatellite PCR and rDNA sequence markers for identification of Trichoderma (Hypocreaceae) species in Saudi Arabian soil

Seven fungal isolates were identified as pan-global Hypocrea/Trichoderma species, from section Trichoderma, on the basis of their morphology. These species were H. lixii/T. harzianum and H. orientalis/T. longibrachiatum. PCR-based markers with primer M13 (core sequence of phage M13) and internal-transcribed spacer sequences of ribosomal DNA were used to confirm the identity of the two Trichoderma species. Sequence identification was performed using the TrichOKEY version 2.0 barcode program and the multilocus similarity search database TrichoBLAST. Sequences from the ribosomal DNA internal-transcribed spacer regions showed limited variation among the Trichoderma species. This analysis divided the isolates into two main groups. Grouping the isolates based on cluster analysis of their DNA profiles matched the grouping based on morphological taxonomy. Molecular data obtained from analyses of gene sequences are essential to distinguish phonetically cryptic species in this group and to establish phylogenetic relationships.     

Genetic relatedness of Trichoderma sect. Pachybasium species based on molecular approaches

Molecular approaches including internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of ribosomal DNA, universal primer polymerase chain reaction (UP-PCR) fingerprinting, and DNA-DNA hybridization were used to study the genetic relatedness of species within Trichoderma sect. Pachybasium. In the analysis of ITS and 5.8S sequences of ribosomal DNA, parsimony analysis demonstrated that forty-one strains were distributed into five main groups supported by high bootstrap values. The species of Trichoderma sect. Pachybasium were clustered into groups I, II, and IV, with the strains of Trichoderma fasculatum and Trichoderma strictipile forming a separate branch, an independent group V. Some species within each group showed nearly identical sequence differences (fewer than 1-3 bp). UP-PCR and DNA-DNA hybridization were further used to clarify the genetic relatedness of these species with highly similar ITS sequences. Highly similar or identical UP-PCR profiles and high values of DNA complementarity (>70%) were observed among some species, Trichoderma hamatum and Trichoderma pubescens; Trichoderma croceum, Trichoderma polysporum and Trichoderma album, Trichoderma crassum and Trichoderma flavofuscum; and Trichoderma strictipile and Trichoderma fasciculatum. Although every species can be differentiated morphologically, the species showed highly similar molecular characteristics in the above cases, indicating that they could be conspecific. However, in some cases (Trithoderma longipile, T. crassum and T. flavofuscum; Trichoderma fertile and Trichoderma minutisporum; Trichoderma tomentosum, Trichoderma inhamatum and Trichoderma harzianum) there were discriminative patterns of UP-PCR and (or) low levels (<50%) of DNA-DNA hybridization; even their ITS sequences were similar, suggesting a closely phylogenetic relationship.     

木霉属中国新纪录种Trichoderma pleuroticola和T. pleurotum

【目的】对蔬菜大棚土壤中和阿魏菇腐烂的菌盖上分离的两株木霉菌进行分类鉴定。【方法】结合形态学分类特征和ITS序列分析的方法进行鉴定。【结果】从蔬菜大棚的土壤中和阿魏菇腐烂的菌盖上分离的两株木霉菌分别为Trichoderma pleuroticola和T.pleurotum。T.pleuroticola的形态特征与T.harzianum相似,但其分生孢子显著大于T.harzianum的分生孢子,且在PDA上产生黑褐色的色素以及黄色的结晶物。T.pleurotum典型特征是分生孢子梗单生,有时匍匐,分枝散生,初级分枝和分生孢子梗顶端聚生,类似粘帚霉。【结论】分离的两株木霉分别是T.pleuroticola和T.pleurotum,为木霉菌中国新纪录种。     

Characterization of novel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma</Emphasis> spp. isolates as a search for effective biocontrollers of fungal diseases of economically important crops in Argentina

Monoconidial cultures of 33 isolates of Trichoderma from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina were characterized on the basis of twenty eight morphological, physiological and biochemical features. All of them were screened for proteinase, endochitinase and β-1,3 glucanase activity. Universally primed PCR (UP-PCR) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) techniques were used to examine the genetic variability among isolates, which resulted in 127 bands for the total number of isolates. These results were subjected to numerical analysis revealing 20 haplotypes grouped in five clusters. The ability of Trichoderma isolates to antogonize soil-borne fungal plant pathogens using a dual culture assay was done against five fungal species: Alternaria sp., Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium graminearum, F. solani, and Pyricularia oryzae. The highest inhibition values (85% RI) were obtained against B. sorokiniana and P. oryzae. Three isolates of T. harzianum named as FCCT2, FCCT3 and FCCT9 were capable of causing a high growth inhibition on four of the fungal species assayed, which was in agreement with their higher extracellular hydrolytic activity. Our results suggest that these isolates have the potential to be effective agents for biocontrol of cereal and tomato fungal pathogens.     

Morphological, Biochemical and Molecular Characterization of Trichoderma harzianum Isolates for their Efficacy as Biocontrol Agents

The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) procedure was used to examine the genetic variability among 8 isolates of Trichoderma harzianum , and their ability to antagonize Sclerotium rolfsii using a dual culture assay was correlated with RAPD profiles. Eight oligodeoxynucleotide primers were selected for the RAPD assays, which resulted in 86 bands for 8 isolates of T . harzianum . The data were entered into a binary matrix and a similarity matrix was constructed using the DICE similarity (SD) index. An unweighted pair grouping mathematical averaging (UPGMA) cluster based on SD values was generated using the NTSYS computer program. A mean coefficient of similarity obtained for pairwise comparisons was c. 30% and it showed that the variability among the isolates of T. harzianum was very high. Using the dual culture method in antagonism experiments, the T. harzianum isolates were classified in to antagonism classes. Further, T. harzianum isolates were screened for chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activity. RAPD was efficient in demonstrating the high intraspecific genetic variation among isolates. The dendrogram did not show the grouping of isolates by their level of antagonism. Relationship among polymorphism existent, the aggressiveness and the origin of isolates were not found.     

瓜类保护地土壤镰孢菌种群及UP-PCR多样性分析

对采自辽宁省部分地区瓜类保护地的36份土壤样品进行镰孢菌（Fusarium）分离培养,共获得112株镰孢菌,采用传统形态学分类和现代分子生物学方法,确定属于11个种.对其中25株镰孢菌及3株对照镰孢菌进行了通用引物PCR（UP-PCR）多样性分析.结果表明：6条引物扩增出73条带,其中多态性条带66条,占总条带数的90.4%.对供试菌株进行UP-PCR聚类图谱分析,当相似系数为0.736时,可将其划分为8个类群,其中14株尖孢镰孢菌聚为一类.UP-PCR分析体现了镰孢菌菌株间的亲缘关系及差异性,可以作为镰孢菌分类的辅助方法.     

Characterization of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae recX, a gene that is required for high-level expression of recA

A universally primed (UP)-PCR cross hybridization assay was developed for rapid identification of isolates of Rhizoctonia solani into the correct anastomosis group (AG). Twenty-one AG tester isolates belonging to 11 AGs of R. solani were amplified with a single UP primer which generated multiple PCR fragments for each isolate. The amplified products were spotted onto a filter, immobilized and used for cross hybridization against amplification products from the different isolates. Isolates within AG subgroups cross hybridize strongly, whereas between different AGs little or no cross hybridization occurs. Sixteen Rhizoctonia isolates from diseased sugar beets and potatoes were identified using the assay. The results were supported by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of the nuclear encoded ribosomal DNA. Through standardization and use of quick non-radioactive labeling techniques, the UP-PCR cross hybridization assay has potential for routine use by modern DNA chip technology.     

中国西南地区木霉属分类研究

从西南四省区(云、贵、川、藏)的土壤和其它样品中分离木霉301株,鉴定出9个木霉集合种(species aggregates) :哈茨木霉(Trichoderma harzianum Rifai),拟康氏木霉(T.pseudokoningii Rifai),长枝木霉(T.longibrachiatum Rifai),深绿木霉(T.atrovirideBissett),桔绿木霉(T.citrinoviride Bissett),绿色木霉(T.viride Pers.ex S.F.Gray),钩状木霉(T.hamatum(Bon)Bain),康氏木霉(T.koningii Oud.)以及黄绿木霉(T.aureoviride Rifai)。从各个样点收集的42种不同作物和其它植被土样中都分离到木霉;土样pH值为4—8.5,海拔300—5400m。以哈茨木霉和拟康氏木霉出现频率最高,分别为28.5%和21.1%,似为西南地区木霉优势种群,而绿色木霉、钩状木霉和深绿木霉很少分离到。这样的种群结构可能与西南地区气候和采样季节有关。     

我国河北、浙江、云南及西藏木霉种记述

对从中国河北、浙江、云南及西藏分离的72个木霉菌株进行了鉴定和分类学研究。采纳Gams&Bissett(1998)及Kullnig—Gradinger et al.(2002)的分类观点,鉴定出木霉属的12个种, 其中包括8个已知种:深绿木霉T.atroviride,桔绿木霉T.citrinoviride,哈茨木霉T.harzianum, 康宁木霉T.koningii,长枝木霉T.longibrachiatum,中国木霉T.sinensis,绿木霉T.virens和绿色木霉T.viride;4个我国新记录种是:木霉组(Trichoderma section)的棘孢木霉T.asperellum及粗梗组(Pachybasium section)的淡黄木霉T.cerinum,螺旋木霉T.spirale和茸状木霉T.velutinum。     

Isozyme analysis and relationships among three species in Malaysian Trichoderma isolates

Isozyme and protein electrophoresis data from mycelial extracts of 27 isolates of Trichoderma harzianum, 10 isolates of T. aureoviride and 10 isolates of T. longibrachiatum from Southern Peninsular Malaysia were investigated. The eight enzyme and a single protein pattern systems were analyzed. Three isozyme and total protein patterns were shown to be useful for the detection of three Trichoderma species. The isozyme and protein data were analyzed using the Nei and Li Dice similarity coefficient for pairwise comparison between individual isolates, species isolate group, and for generating a distance matrix. The UPGMA cluster analysis showed a higher degree of relationship between T. harzianum and T. aureoviride than to T. longibrachiatum. These results suggested that the T. harzianum isolates had high levels of genetic variation compared to the other isolates of Trichoderma species.     

Longevity of Microbial Biocontrol Agents in a Planting Mix Amended with Glomus intraradices

Commercial sources of the biological control agents Bacillus subtilis , Trichoderma harzianum and Streptomyces griseoviridis and experimental single isolates of Serratia plymuthica , a Pseudomonas fluorescens parent and its lacZY mutant were evaluated for their survival and compatibility with the mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus intraradices , in a commercial planting mix. The control treatments were the unamended mix and mix amended with G. intraradices alone. All were applied to 128-cell Speedling styrofoam flats and planted with the tomato cultivar 'Sunny'. At four to five intervals during the growing period (6.5-8 weeks), each organism was quantified by dilution plating and G. intraradices infection (%) was determined at the end of each test. The number of Trichoderma isolates increased slightly within 2 weeks after application and then stabilized through the end of the test. Serratia and Streptomyces isolates declined throughout the test from about 7.75 log colony-forming units (CFU) g - 1 to numbers at the end (6.2 log CFU g - 1) similar to the controls. Bacillus isolates declined about 1 log CFU g - 1 in the first week but then stabilized. G. intraradices had no influence on numbers of these four genera. The Pseudomonas parent and its lacZY mutant declined about 1 log CFU g - 1 during the test with the mutant yielding higher CFU for each sampling period. Propagules of both Pseudomonas isolates were greater when mixed with G. intraradices than when alone. In these experiments, Bacillus and Trichoderma were the best survivors in a mix for potential use as biocontrol agents for tomato transplants.     

Biochemical and metabolic profiles of Trichoderma strains isolated from common bean crops in the Brazilian Cerrado, and potential antagonism against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Some species of Trichoderma have successfully been used in the commercial biological control of fungal pathogens, e.g., Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, an economically important pathogen of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The objectives of the present study were (1) to provide molecular characterization of Trichoderma strains isolated from the Brazilian Cerrado; (2) to assess the metabolic profile of each strain by means of Biolog FF Microplates; and (3) to evaluate the ability of each strain to antagonize S. sclerotiorum via the production of cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs), volatile antibiotics, and dual-culture tests. Among 21 isolates, we identified 42.86% as Trichoderma asperellum, 33.33% as Trichoderma harzianum, 14.29% as Trichoderma tomentosum, 4.76% as Trichoderma koningiopsis, and 4.76% as Trichoderma erinaceum. Trichoderma asperellum showed the highest CWDE activity. However, no species secreted a specific group of CWDEs. Trichoderma asperellum 364/01, T. asperellum 483/02, and T. asperellum 356/02 exhibited high and medium specific activities for key enzymes in the mycoparasitic process, but a low capacity for antagonism. We observed no significant correlation between CWDE and antagonism, or between metabolic profile and antagonism. The diversity of Trichoderma species, and in particular of T. harzianum, was clearly reflected in their metabolic profiles. Our findings indicate that the selection of Trichoderma candidates for biological control should be based primarily on the environmental fitness of competitive isolates and the target pathogen.     

云南大围山自然保护区木霉菌多样性与RAPD分析

描述了从云南省大围山自然保护区土壤样品中分离鉴定的 6个木霉集合种 (speciesaggregates) :康氏木霉(Trichoderma .koningiiOud) ,哈茨木霉 (T .harzianumRifai) ,绿色木霉 (T .viridePersexS .F .Gray) ,长枝木霉(T .longibrachiatumRifai) ,桔绿木霉 (T .citrinovirideBissett) ,钩状木霉 (T .hamatum (Bon)Bain)。对 6种木霉分别进行拮抗活性测定和随机扩增多态性DNA(RAPD) ;其结果 ,6种木霉对 4种植物病原菌均有不同程度的拮抗性 ;6种木霉DNA扩增谱带差异明显 ,遗传相似性聚类分析结果按一定遗传距离可分 6群 ;与形态分类结果一致 ,可作为木霉分类鉴定的依据。     

PCR-based genotyping of epidemic and preepidemic Trichoderma isolates associated with green mold of Agaricus bisporus.

We used randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR to estimate genetic variation among isolates of Trichoderma associated with green mold on the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Of 83 isolates examined, 66 were sampled during the recent green mold epidemic, while the remaining 17 isolates were collected just prior to the epidemic and date back to the 1950s. Trichoderma harzianum biotype 4 was identified by RAPD analysis as the cause of almost 90% of the epidemic-related episodes of green mold occurring in the major commercial mushroom-growing region in North America. Biotype 4 was more closely allied to T. harzianum biotype 2, the predominant pathogenic genotype in Europe, than to the less pathogenic biotype 1 and Trichoderma atroviride (formerly T. harzianum biotype 3). No variation in the RAPD patterns was observed among the isolates within biotype 2 or 4, suggesting that the two pathogenic biotypes were populations containing single clones. Considerable genetic variation, however, was noted among isolates of biotype 1 and T. atroviride from Europe. Biotype 4 was not represented by the preepidemic isolates of Trichoderma as determined by RAPD markers and PCR amplification of an arbitrary DNA sequence unique to the genomes of biotypes 2 and 4. Our findings suggest that the onset of the green mold epidemic in North America resulted from the recent introduction of a highly virulent genotype of the pathogen into cultivated mushrooms.     

Physiological and biochemical characterization of Trichoderma harzianum, a biological control agent against soilborne fungal plant pathogens.

Monoconidial cultures of 15 isolates of Trichoderma harzianum were characterized on the basis of 82 morphological, physiological, and biochemical features and 99 isoenzyme bands from seven enzyme systems. The results were subjected to numerical analysis which revealed four distinct groups. Representative sequences of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS 1)-ITS 2 region in the ribosomal DNA gene cluster were compared between groups confirming this distribution. The utility of the groupings generated from the morphological, physiological, and biochemical data was assessed by including an additional environmental isolate in the electrophoretic analysis. The in vitro antibiotic activity of the T. harzianum isolates was assayed against 10 isolates of five different soilborne fungal plant pathogens: Aphanomyces cochlioides, Rhizoctonia solani, Phoma betae, Acremonium cucurbitacearum, and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis lycopersici. Similarities between levels and specificities of biological activity and the numerical characterization groupings are both discussed in relation to antagonist-specific populations in known and potential biocontrol species.