Influence of Foliar Treatment with Suspensions Rich in ITrichoderma/I Chlamydospores on IMomordica charantia/I Physiology, Yield, and Quality

Several strategies promote phyllosphere colonization by soil-born Trichoderma plant-beneficial strains. One of these strategies is foliar spraying with suspensions containing large amounts of chlamydospores—spores with thick cell wall structures that make them highly resistant to harsh environmental...

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Published in:Horticulturae 2024-04, Vol.10 (4)
Main Authors: Bala, Ioana-Alexandra, Șesan, Tatiana Eugenia, Oancea, Anca, Craciunescu, Oana, Ghiurea, Marius, Răut, Iuliana, Trică, Bogdan, Nicolae, Cristian-Andi, Constantinescu-Aruxandei, Diana, Oancea, Florin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bitter melon
Crop yields
Environmental aspects
Fungi
Physiological aspects
Spores (Botany)
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Summary:Several strategies promote phyllosphere colonization by soil-born Trichoderma plant-beneficial strains. One of these strategies is foliar spraying with suspensions containing large amounts of chlamydospores—spores with thick cell wall structures that make them highly resistant to harsh environmental conditions. Trichoderma biomass was produced by cultivation on a cornmeal medium and compared with the biomass produced on potato dextrose broth by microscopic and thermogravimetric analyses. The analyses revealed increased chlamydospore content and thermostability in the fungal biomass produced on the corn meal medium. The Trichoderma suspension rich in chlamydospores was sprayed on bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) leaves at two inoculant concentrations, 10[sup.6] and 10[sup.8] ufc/mL. The effect of these treatments on the plant physiological parameters, leaf photosynthetic pigments, polyphenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities of the leaves and fruits, and yield was compared to the control (plants sprayed with water) and to the experimental treatment involving spraying with 10[sup.8] ufc/mL of propagules produced in potato dextrose broth. The effect of chlamydospore-rich suspensions on plant physiological parameters was more pronounced and long-lasting compared with the other treatments. The treatment with chlamydospore-rich suspension enhanced the accumulation of polyphenols and flavonoids in the leaves (by 17% and 50%, respectively) and fruits (by 18% and 31%, respectively) and increased the antioxidant activity. The Trichoderma treatment increased the yield by +25.33–53.07%. The application of the foliar treatment with Trichoderma suspensions did not modify the cytocompatibility of the extracts from the fruits determined on the L929 cells.
ISSN:2311-7524
2311-7524
DOI:10.3390/horticulturae10040371