1.Morphological and molecular characterization of Trichoderma species isolated from rhizosphere soils in Malaysia
Sharifah Siti Maryam Syd Abdul Rahman ; Nur Ain Izzati Mohd Zainudin ; Asma Aris ; Nor Azwady Abd Aziz
Malaysian Journal of Microbiology 2021;17(1):80-89
Aims:
Knowledge of the Trichoderma taxa is important for both control efficiency and environmental conservation.
Therefore, the objective of this study is to isolate and identify Trichoderma species from various rhizosphere soil
samples using phenotypic and molecular characterization.
Methodology and results:
Native Trichoderma spp. were isolated from agricultural fields in 17 sites from seven states
of Malaysia. These isolates were characterized via morphological observation and molecular phylogenetic analysis
based on the translation elongation factor-1α (tef1-α) gene. About 42 isolates were classified into eight Trichoderma
species, which are Trichoderma asperellum, T. hamatum, T. harzianum, T. koningiopsis, T. rodmanii, T. spirale, T. viride
and T. virens. Comparison of DNA sequences of tef1-α showed that the isolates were 98-100% similar to respective
Trichoderma species from GenBank, thus confirming the fungal identity. Phylogenetic trees of maximum likelihood (ML)
dataset of tef1-α inferred that the isolates were clustered according to species.
Conclusion, significance and impact of study
Findings in the present study will be beneficial for the purposes of
biodiversity conservation and plant disease management using biocontrol agents.
Trichoderma--isolation &
;
purification
;
Rhizosphere