Anatomical changes induced by isolates of Trichoderma spp. in soybean plants

• Published in: PloS one 2020-11, Vol.15 (11), p.e0242480-e0242480
• Main Authors: Oliveira, Camilla Martins, Almeida, Nayane Oliveira, da Rocha, Mara Rubia, Rezende, Maria Helena, Carneiro, Renê Gonçalves da Silva, Ulhoa, Cirano José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; Anatomy; Ascomycota; Biological control; Biology and Life Sciences; Botanical research; Chitinase; Crop diseases; Crop yields; Cultivars; Diameters; Enzymatic activity; Enzymes; Epidermis; Ethanol; Fungi; Glycine max - anatomy & histology; Glycine max - growth & development; Glycine max - parasitology; Host-parasite relationships; Inoculation; Laboratories; Leaves; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mesophyll; Microorganisms; Morphology; Nutrients; Parenchyma; Pathogens; Physiological aspects; Plant Development - physiology; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant growth; Plant Leaves; Plant resistance; Plant roots; Plant Roots - growth & development; Proteins; Roots; Seeds; Soybeans; Stomata; Thickness; Trichoderma; Trichoderma - growth & development; Trichoderma - pathogenicity; Trichoderma - physiology
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242480

In the current work we evaluated the anatomical changes induced by T. harzianum and T. asperellum in two soybean cultivars, BRSGO Caiaponia and NA 5909 RG. Soybean production represents a growing market worldwide, and new methods aimed at increasing its productivity and yield are constantly being sought. Fungi of the genus Trichoderma have been widely used in agriculture as a promising alternative for the promotion of plant growth and for biological control of various pathogens. It is known that Trichoderma spp. colonize plant roots, but the anatomical changes that this fungus can cause are still less studied. Experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to collect leaves and soybean roots to perform analysis of growth parameters, enzymatic activity of defense-related enzymes and anatomical changes. It was observed that inoculation of Trichoderma spp. caused anatomical alterations, among them, increase in stomatal index at the abaxial leaf surface, thickness of the root cortex, thickness of adaxial epidermis, mean diameter of the vascular cylinder, thickness of the mesophyll, and thickness of the spongy parenchyma of the soybean plants. These results indicate that the alterations in these factors may be related to the process of plant resistance to pathogens, and better performance against adverse conditions. This study demonstrates that the anatomical study of plants is an important tool to show the effects that are induced by biological control agents.