''Trichoderma viride'' is a fungus and a biofungicide. It is used for seed- and soil treatment for suppression of various diseases caused by

fungal pathogen Pathogenic fungi are fungi that cause disease in humans or other organisms. Approximately 300 fungi are known to be pathogenic to humans. Markedly more fungi are known to be pathogenic to plant life than those of the animal kingdom. The study of fu ...

Biology

''T. viride'' is a mold which produces spores asexually, by mitosis. It is the

anamorph In mycology, the terms teleomorph, anamorph, and holomorph apply to portions of the life cycles of fungi in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota: *Teleomorph: the sexual reproductive stage (morph), typically a fruiting body. *Anamorph: an ase ...

of ''Hypocrea rufa'', its teleomorph, which is the sexual reproductive stage of the fungus and produces a typical fungal fruiting body. The mycelium of ''T. viride'' can produce a variety of enzymes, including cellulases and chitinases which can degrade cellulose and chitin respectively. The mould can grow directly on wood, which is mostly composed of cellulose, and on fungi, the cell walls of which are mainly composed of

chitin Chitin ( C8 H13 O5 N)n ( ) is a long-chain polymer of ''N''-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose. Chitin is probably the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cellulose); an estimated 1 billion tons of chit ...

. It parasitizes the mycelia and fruiting bodies of other fungi, including cultivated mushrooms, and it has been called the "green mould disease of mushrooms". The affected mushrooms are distorted and unattractive in appearance and the crop is reduced.Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month
/ref> Trichoderma viride is the causal agent of green mold rot of onion. A strain of Trichoderma viride is a known cause of dieback of Pinus nigra seedlings.

Uses

The fungicidal activity makes ''T. viride'' useful as a biological control against plant pathogenic fungi. It has been shown to provide protection against such pathogens as '' Rhizoctonia'', '' Pythium'' and even '' Armillaria''. It is found naturally in soil and is effective as a seed dressing in the control of seed and soil-borne diseases including ''

Rhizoctonia solani ''Rhizoctonia solani'' is a species of fungus in the order Cantharellales. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are thin, effused, and web-like, but the fungus is more typically encountered in its anamorphic state, as hyphae and sclerotia. The name ''Rhi ...

'', '' Macrophomina phaseolina'' and '' Fusarium'' species. When it is applied at the same time as the seed, it colonizes the seed surface and kills not only the pathogens present on the

cuticle A cuticle (), or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non- homologous, differing in their origin, structu ...

, but also provides protection against soil-borne pathogens. A closely related species, ''

Trichoderma reesei ''Trichoderma reesei'' is a mesophilic and filamentous fungus. It is an anamorph of the fungus ''Hypocrea jecorina''. ''T. reesei'' can secrete large amounts of cellulolytic enzymes (cellulases and hemicellulases). Microbial cellulases have ...

'', is used in the creation of stonewashed jeans.Heikinheimo, L., Buchert, J., Miettinen-Oinonen, A., & Suominen, P. (2000). Treating Denim Fabrics with Trichoderma Reesei Cellulases. Textile Research Journal, 70(11), 969–973. https://doi.org/10.1177/004051750007001106 The cellulase produced by the fungus partially degrade the cotton material in places, making it soft and causing the jeans to look as if they had been washed using stones.

References

External links

Index Fungorum

USDA ARS Fungal Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3915697 Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Root vegetable diseases Trichoderma Fungi of Europe Fungi described in 1794 Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon