Profiling antifungal metabolites of Trichoderma atroviride by GC-MS for in vitro biocontrol of Fusarium graminearum and Rhizoctonia solani

Abstract

The antifungal compounds of Trichoderma fungi hold significant potential for eco-friendly biological control of pathogenic fungi, offering sustainable alternatives to chemical fungicides. The present study aimed to identify secondary metabolites (SMs) of T. atroviride 6022 using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and evaluate their antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum and Rhizoctonia solani. A total of 372 different SMs were identified. Compounds with molecular weights between 100 and 300 g/mol constituted 87.90% of SMs. Simple hydrocarbons and organo-oxygens comprised 76.11% and 15.59% of SMs, respectively. The remaining 8.3% belonged to organo-sulfur, organo-boron, organo-chlorine, organo-nitrogen, organo-bromine, organo-silicon, organo-phosphorus, and organo-fluorine compounds. Gliotoxin, Gliovirin, Peptaibolin, Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Dibutyl phthalate, Eicosane, Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester, Naphthalene, Nerolidol, Phenanthrene, Styrene, Tetradecane, Toluene, 10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, benzophenone, cyclopentadecane, heneicosane, indane, and naphtho[2,1-b]thiophene were identified as antifungal SMs of T. atroviride 6022. A 30% concentration of the T. atroviride extract inhibited the growth of F. graminearum and R. solani by 77.78% and 81.25%, respectively. Therefore, SMs play a crucial role in the antifungal properties of T. atroviride. Additionally, the similarity of SMs between genetically similar Trichoderma spp. is possible, and the ecological niche is an important factor in the diversity of SMs within the same fungal species.