Sustainable Approaches of Trichoderma under Changing Environments for Vegetable Production

Abstract

THE world’s burgeoning population faces a great challenge concerning food security, which could be achieved through different sustainable agricultural practices. Trichoderma, as a ubiquitous fungus, is one of the most promising microorganisms that might offer several avenues for sustainable agriculture. Trichoderma spp. may guarantee a better solution for conventional problems in agriculture through several approaches including the protection of cultivated plants from undesirable abiotic and biotic conditions under changing environments and promoting their growth in poor or limited soil nutrients. The promising role of Trichoderma for vegetable production as a biocontrol and biofertilizers has been confirmed but its role as a plant pathogen still needs more studies. Trichoderma could inhibit or suppress the growth of soil phytopathogens, promoting plant growth and soil health, through activation of many mechanisms including synthesis of antibiotics, mycoparasitism and competition for nutrients and space against plant deleterious microorganisms. The sustainable approaches of Trichoderma including biofortification, bio-remediation and phyto-remediationas well as exploring future research opportunities will be also addressed in this work.