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Notas Científicas
Biological control of white mold by Trichoderma harzianum in
common bean under field conditions
Daniel Diego Costa Carvalho(1), Alaerson Maia Geraldine(2), Murillo Lobo Junior(2)
and Sueli Corrêa Marques de Mello(3)
(1)
Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Fitopatologia, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Bloco E,
s/no, Asa Norte, CEP 70910‑700 Brasília, DF, Brazil. E‑mail: daniel.carvalho@ueg.br (2)Embrapa Arroz e Feijão, Rodovia GO‑462,
Km 12, Zona Rural, Caixa Postal 179, CEP 75375‑000 Santo Antônio de Goiás, GO, Brazil. E‑mail: alaerson.geraldine@ifgoiano.edu.br,
murillo.lobo@embrapa.br (3)Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Parque Estação Biológica, Avenida W5 Norte (Final), Caixa Postal
02372, CEP 70770‑917 Brasília, DF, Brazil. E‑mail: sueli.mello@embrapa.br
Abstract – The objective of this work was to evaluate Trichoderma harzianum isolates for biological control
of white mold in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Five isolates were evaluated for biocontrol of white
mold in 'Perola' common bean under field conditions, in the 2009 and 2010 crop seasons. A commercial isolate
(1306) and a control treatment were included. Foliar applications at 2x109 conidia mL-1 were performed at 42
and 52 days after sowing (DAS), in 2009, and at 52 DAS in 2010. The CEN287, CEN316, and 1306 isolates
decreased the number of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum apothecia per square meter in comparison to the control, in
both crop seasons. CEN287, CEN316, and 1306 decreased white mold severity during the experimental period,
when compared to the control.
Index terms: Phaseolus vulgaris, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, antagonists, hyperparasitism, soilborne pathogen.
Controle biológico do mofo‑branco por Trichoderma harzianum
em feijão em condições de campo
Resumo – O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar isolados de Trichoderma harzianum para o controle biológico do
mofo-branco em feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris). Cinco isolados foram avaliados para o biocontrole do mofo‑branco
em feijão 'Pérola', em condições de campo, nos anos agrícolas 2009 e 2010. Um isolado comercial (1306) e
um tratamento testemunha foram incluídos. Aplicações foliares a 2x109 conídios mL-1 foram realizadas aos
42 e 52 dias após a semeadura (DAS), em 2009, e aos 52 DAS em 2010. Os isolados CEN287, CEN316 e
1306 reduziram o número de apotécios por metro quadrado de Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, em comparação à
testemunha, nos dois anos agrícolas. CEN287, CEN316 e 1306 reduziram a severidade do mofo‑branco no
período experimental, quando comparados à testemunha.
Termos para indexação: Phaseolus vulgaris, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, antagonistas, hiperparasitismo, patógenos
habitantes do solo.
Fungicides have been used to manage white mold,
but highly‑infested areas require many applications,
which greatly increase production costs. Moreover,
chemical fungicides do not always provide satisfactory
control and may have adverse effects on nontarget
organisms (Naseby et al., 2000). In this respect,
biological control is advantageous over conventional
pesticides, as it provides an alternative to reduce the
soil inoculum potential, without harmful effects on the
environment (Harman et al., 2004).
Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.50, n.12, p.1220-1224, dez. 2015
DOI: 10.1590/S0100-204X2015001200012
Disease biocontrol promoted by Trichoderma,
considering active components of natural soil, consists
in a complex process that can occur through antibiosis,
competition for nutrients, and mycoparasitism, among
other mechanisms (Harman et al., 2004). As an
additional advantage, some isolates of Trichoderma
may also act as plant growth promoters (Carvalho
et al., 2011). Different T. harzianum isolates have
effectively reduced the incidence of white mold and
other diseases in several economically important crops,
Biological control of white mold by Trichoderma harzianum
such as tomato (Abdullah et al., 2008) and common
bean (Geraldine et al., 2013; Carvalho et al., 2014).
Brazilian soils contain a rich diversity of beneficial
microorganisms. Among them, Trichoderma species
have been targets for collection and screening, aiming
at the discovery of efficient isolates for biological
control (Carvalho et al., 2014). Five isolates (CEN287,
CEN288, CEN289, CEN290, and CEN316) were
previously selected in vitro against major common bean
pathogens (Carvalho et al., 2011). Their effectiveness,
previously observed in controlled‑environment and
field studies (Carvalho et al., 2015), motivated further
tests, also designed to determine their biocontrol
amplitude in agroecosystems.
The objective of this work was to evaluate
Trichoderma harzianum isolates for biological control
of white mold in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).
The five isolates of T. harzianum used in the present
study belong to the fungi collection for biological
control of plant pathogens and weeds of Embrapa
Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, located in the
municipality of Brasília, in Distrito Federal, Brazil. All
Trichoderma isolates were originally obtained from the
Cerrado biome. Cultures were stored in liquid nitrogen
and recovered in potato dextrose agar medium. In
addition, a commercial isolate of T. harzianum, 1306
Trichodermil, (Itaforte Bioprodutos, Itapetininga, SP,
Brazil), recommended for the biocontrol of soilborne
pathogens and for plant growth promotion, was used.
Two field experiments were conducted in the same
area, at Fazenda Palmital (16º26'04"S, 49º24'07"W, at
an altitude of 735 m), within Embrapa Arroz e Feijão
facilities, located in the municipality of Goianira,
in the state of Goiás, Brazil, in the 2009 and 2010
crop seasons (July‑October), when the average air
temperature was 21.2 and 21.5°C, respectively.
The soil of the experimental area is classified as a
Latossolo Vermelho ácrico (Rhodic Acrustox) (Santos
et al., 2006) with clay texture, and presented the
following characteristics: 6.6 pH; 3.24, 1.25, 0, and
3.35 cmolc dm-³ Ca, Mg, Al, and H+Al, respectively;
11.6, 111, 2.9, 3.6, 110, and 50 mg dm-³ P, K, Cu, Zn,
Fe, and Mn, respectively; and 20 g dm-³ organic matter.
The experimental area had been previously cropped
for pasture and had no record of previous annual crop.
A total of 2.5 L ha-1 glyphosate was applied, and the
distribution of sclerotia in the experimental area was
carried out soon after crop sowing, with an average of
1221
145 sclerotia per square meter in 2009 and 2010, in
alignment with Huang et al. (2000). The experimental
area was fertilized with N‑P2O5‑K2O (5-25-15 at
400 kg ha-1) and sown with 'Pérola' common bean
(24 seeds per square meter).
Plots composed by five 2.5‑m planting rows were
arranged in a randomized complete block design, with
four replicates. The spacing between rows was 0.5 m,
whereas plots were spaced at 1.0 m. Outer guard rows
(2.5 m) were sown with the same crop to protect the
total experimental area (400 m2) and to support a
disease‑conducive microclimate. The experiments
were sprinkled irrigated, favoring proper common bean
growth and apothecia development. Other cultural
practices followed the recommendations of Barbosa &
Gonzaga (2012).
In order to produce T. harzianum inoculum, 5.0‑mm
mycelial plugs of each T. harzianum isolate were
transferred to 250‑mL flasks (six plugs per flask),
containing 15 g parboiled rice, previously moistened
(60% w/v) and autoclaved (121ºC for 40 min). Flasks
were kept at 25ºC, under a 12‑hour photoperiod. After
7 days, spores were harvested with distilled water and
filtered through sterile gauze, and their concentration
was adjusted to 1×106 conidia mL-1 with a Neubauer
chamber.
In 2009, two T. harzianum applications of 1.5 L
of the conidial suspension were performed per plot
(6.25 m2, equivalent to 2.4×1012 conidia ha-1): the first
at 5% bean flowering, at 42 days after sowing (DAS),
and the second, 10 days after the first one (Huang
et al., 2000). In 2010, T. harzianum was spread only
once at 42 DAS, at the same dose as in 2009. In both
experiments, a pre‑compression sprayer, model 417‑02
(Guarany Indústria e Comércio Ltda., Itu, SP, Brazil),
with real tank volume of 3.8 L was used to spray the
conidial suspensions. After the antagonist was applied,
the experiments were irrigated to facilitate the spread
of conidia in the soil.
The number of apothecia present on the soil
surface was estimated at the full‑bloom and first‑pod
formation stages (62 DAS), in a 1.0‑m2 area in the
center of each plot. White mold severity was evaluated
at 72 DAS, at the pod‑filling stage. For this evaluation,
two 1.0-m2 areas were randomly chosen within each
plot. For severity evaluation, the rating scale described
by Napoleão et al. (2005) was used. For statistical
analysis, the mean point of each assigned grade was
Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.50, n.12, p.1220-1224, dez. 2015
DOI: 10.1590/S0100-204X2015001200012
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DD.C. Carvalho et al.
considered. Manual harvesting was performed at
97 DAS in the two central rows of each plot at 1.5‑m
length. Besides grain yield (kg ha-1), the number of
pods per plant, grains per pod, and mass of 100 grains
(g) were determined. The results were subjected to
the analysis of variance and to the Scott‑Knott test, at
5% probability, using the software Sisvar, version 5.3
(Ufla, Lavras, MG, Brazil).
Soil infestation was successful, because it allowed
the development of white mold in all plots, in both
experiments, in 2009 and 2010. Differences were
found among treatments. The CEN287, CEN316, and
1306 isolates reduced the pathogen inoculum density
in both crop seasons, when compared to the control
treatment not inoculated with T. harzianum (Table 1).
The reduction in the average number of apothecia per
square meter observed in the plots treated with these
effective isolates was 46, 58, and 62% in 2009, and
73, 61, and 52% in 2010, respectively. CEN290 also
reduced the number of apothecia in 2009, but did
not present the same effect the following year, under
higher inoculum pressure.
Furthermore, only the CEN287, CEN316, and
1306 isolates proved to be effective biocontrol agents
of white mold under field conditions in the two crop
seasons, reducing disease severity by 77, 74, and 76%
in 2009, and by 96, 80, and 84% in 2010, respectively,
in comparison to the untreated control. Even with the
increase in the general mean of white mold severity
between 2009 and 2010, these three isolates maintained
their efficiency in controlling the disease, as shown by
the grouped means obtained by the Scott‑Knot test in
both crop seasons.
There were no differences between the isolates for
yield and its components (Table 2). However, in the
first experiment, in 2009, the mass of 100 grains of
CEN287 was higher than that of the other isolates.
This was the only significant difference observed in
the means of yield and its components (Table 2). In
addition, an increase in the general grain yield was
verified between 2009 and 2010.
Reductions in the number of apothecia per square
meter and in the severity of white mold did not positively
Table 1. Effect of Trichoderma harzianum on the number
of apothecia per square meter and on white mold severity
in 'Pérola' common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) under field
conditions, in the 2009 and 2010 crop seasons(1).
Trichoderam
harzianum isolate
CEN287
CEN288
CEN289
CEN290
CEN316
1306
Control(3)
Mean
CV (%)
Apothecia per square
meter
2009
2010
6.7aA
10.5bA
17.5cA
8.5aA
5.2aA
4.7aA
12.5bA
9.39A
21.61
28.2aB
114.2bB
50.7aB
85.7bB
40.5aB
50.2aB
105.5bB
67.89B
27.06
Severity(2)
(%)
2009
2010
6.7aA
11.6aA
27.5bA
6.8aA
7.5aA
6.7aA
28.5bA
13.62A
25.36
2.3aA
33.7bB
32.2bA
32.2bB
11.7aA
9.2aA
58.7cB
25.76B
29.60
Means followed by equal letters, lowercase in the columns and uppercase
in the rows, do not differ by the Scott‑Knott test, at 5% probability. (2)Severity was evaluated according to the rating scale described by Napoleão et al.
(2005). (3)Without application of Trichoderma harzianum.
(1)
Table 2. Effect of Trichoderma harzianum application, for biocontrol of white mold, on grain yield of 'Pérola' common bean
(Phaseolus vulgaris) and its components, under field conditions, in the 2009 and 2010 crop seasons(1).
Trichoderma
harzianum
isolate
CEN287
CEN288
CEN289
CEN290
CEN316
1306
Control(2)
Mean
CV (%)
Pods
(number per plant)
2009
2010
10.7aA
10.5aA
9.8aA
12.2aA
8.7aA
11.3aA
9.1aA
8.5aA
12.0aA
11.3aA
11.9aA
11.3aA
8.4aA
9.4aA
10.1A
10.7A
19.33
29.36
Grains
(number per pod)
2009
2010
5.4aA
5.0aA
5.1aA
5.1aA
5.1aA
5.0aA
5.2aA
5.1aA
5.2aA
5.1aA
5.5aA
5.0aA
5.2aA
5.3aA
5.2A
5.1A
7.00
10.11
Mass of 100 grains
(g)
2009
2010
29.7aA
27.7aA
26.5bA
25.7aA
26.0bA
27.5aA
26.0bA
27.1aA
25.5bA
26.5aA
26.6bA
26.6aA
26.9bA
25.1aA
26.8A
26.6A
5.12
6.29
Grain yield
(kg ha-1)
2009
2010
2,162aA
3,217aB
1,820aA
2,285aA
1,950aA
2,700aA
2,056aA
2,744aA
1,944aA
2,426aA
1,929aA
3,471aB
1,990aA
2,555aA
1,979A
2,771B
23.59
22.07
(1)
Means followed by equal letters, lowercase in the columns and uppercase in the rows, do not differ by the Scott‑Knott test, at 5% probability. (2)Without
application of Trichoderma harzianum.
Pesq. agropec. bras., Brasília, v.50, n.12, p.1220‑1224, dez. 2015
DOI: 10.1590/S0100‑204X2015001200012
Biological control of white mold by Trichoderma harzianum
affect grain yield. This can be explained by the fact that
'Pérola' common bean, a known susceptible cultivar to
white mold (Napoleão et al., 2005; Geraldine et al.,
2013), shows indeterminate growth linked to yield
compensation after biotic or abiotic stress (Kelly et al.,
1998). In this case, an extended flowering period may
originate a new set of pods, out of reach of decayed
apothecia, and compensate at least partial yield losses
from the disease. Although severity of white mold was
not enough to cause changes in grain yield, disease
biocontrol with Trichoderma species can inhibit the
formation of new sclerotia in the area (Abdullah et al.,
2008).
Pathogen inoculation in 2009, together with new
sclerotia formed in the first experiment, and a new
artificial infestation in 2010 resulted in increased
inoculum density, from 9.4 to 67.9 apothecia per
square meter in the experimental area, from one crop
season to the other (Table 1). However, the antagonist
did not survive for 2 years and had to be inoculated
again. The increasing soil infestation with sclerotia is
in alignment with reports on buildup of S. sclerotiorum
inocula over time (Duncan et al., 2006); despite the
increasing disease pressure, the effective antagonists
CEN287, CEN316, and 1306 were still able to reduce
the pathogen inoculum density in both experiments,
showing their advantages for biocontrol (Table 1).
The grouping of CEN287, CEN288, CEN290,
CEN316, and 1306 regarding white mold severity
in 2009 was considered a consequence of the lower
number of apothecia per square meter in the first crop
season. CEN288 was statistically similar to these
isolates in terms of white mold severity in 2009, but
presented a statistically higher average number of
apothecia per square meter at 62 DAS, except when
compared to CEN289 and the control. In the following
experiment, only the CEN287 and CEN316 isolates
were effective in showing stable results in both crop
seasons, with their biocontrol capacity unchanged in
2010 with just one application and under increased
disease pressure. This result is in agreement with Zeng
et al. (2012), who highlighted that bioagents were more
effective when disease pressure was high.
CEN287 and CEN316 were sprayed as conidial
suspension in water, devoid of the technological
formulations of 1306, i.e., emulsifiable concentrate
suspension. However, all three isolates proved to be
effective for management of Fusarium wilt of common
1223
bean in field conditions (Carvalho et al., 2014, 2015;
Guimarães et al., 2014). Therefore, also due to their
high capacity for spore production, these isolates are
considered a promising tool for biocontrol of white
mold in common bean.
Acknowledgements
To Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento
Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), for graduate
scholarships to the first and second authors, and for
research grant No. 578604/2008‑6 to the third author;
and to Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito
Federal (FAP‑DF), to Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa
do Estado de Goiás (Fapeg), and to Coordenação de
Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes,
AUXPE 2370/2014), for financial support.
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Received on July 17, 2015 and accepted on October 19, 2015
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DOI: 10.1590/S0100‑204X2015001200012