Isolation and identification of Trichordema rossicum, a new record of Trichoderma species in China, and antagonism against pathogens of dry rot and black scurf of potato

Abstract

A Trichoderma strain was obtained via dilution methods from rhizosphere soil of continuously cropped potato in Tiaoshan farm, Jingtai County, Gansu province. Based on morphological characteristics, combined with ITS sequence analysis, this strain was identified as T. rossicum, which is a first record of this Trichoderma species in China. It was not pathogenic to potato tubers after pathogenesis tests via wound inoculations, which showed that it was safe to potato tubers. The antagonism of this strain to target pathogens Fusarium solani, F. sambucinum and Rhizoctonia solani (4 strains in total) was tested via dual-culture, and the inhibition indexes were all above 0.70, showing that there was potential for this strain to be applied as a biocontrol agent.