Bala, I.-A.; Șesan, T.E.; Oancea, A.; Craciunescu, O.; Ghiurea, M.; Răut, I.; Trică, B.; Nicolae, C.-A.; Constantinescu-Aruxandei, D.; Oancea, F. Influence of Foliar Treatment with Suspensions Rich in Trichoderma Chlamydospores on Momordica Charantia Physiology, Yield, and Quality. Horticulturae 2024, 10, 371, doi:10.3390/horticulturae10040371.
Bala, I.-A.; Șesan, T.E.; Oancea, A.; Craciunescu, O.; Ghiurea, M.; Răut, I.; Trică, B.; Nicolae, C.-A.; Constantinescu-Aruxandei, D.; Oancea, F. Influence of Foliar Treatment with Suspensions Rich in Trichoderma Chlamydospores on Momordica Charantia Physiology, Yield, and Quality. Horticulturae 2024, 10, 371, doi:10.3390/horticulturae10040371.
Bala, I.-A.; Șesan, T.E.; Oancea, A.; Craciunescu, O.; Ghiurea, M.; Răut, I.; Trică, B.; Nicolae, C.-A.; Constantinescu-Aruxandei, D.; Oancea, F. Influence of Foliar Treatment with Suspensions Rich in Trichoderma Chlamydospores on Momordica Charantia Physiology, Yield, and Quality. Horticulturae 2024, 10, 371, doi:10.3390/horticulturae10040371.
Bala, I.-A.; Șesan, T.E.; Oancea, A.; Craciunescu, O.; Ghiurea, M.; Răut, I.; Trică, B.; Nicolae, C.-A.; Constantinescu-Aruxandei, D.; Oancea, F. Influence of Foliar Treatment with Suspensions Rich in Trichoderma Chlamydospores on Momordica Charantia Physiology, Yield, and Quality. Horticulturae 2024, 10, 371, doi:10.3390/horticulturae10040371.
Abstract
Several strategies promote phyllosphere colonization by soil-born Trichoderma plant-beneficial strains. One of these is foliar spraying with suspensions containing large amounts of chlamydospores – spores with a thick cell wall structure that makes them highly resistant to harsh environmental conditions. Trichoderma biomass was produced by cultivation on cornmeal medium and compared by microscopic and thermogravimetric analysis with the biomass produced in potato dextrose broth. Both analyses revealed higher chlamydospores content and thicker mycelium in the fungal biomass produced on cornmeal medium. The Trichoderma suspension rich in chlamydospores was sprayed on bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) leaves at two concentration levels, 106 and 108 ufc/ml. The effect of these treatments on plant physiological parameters, leaf photosynthetic pigments, polyphenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity of leaves and fruits and yield was compared to the control (plants sprayed with water) and to the experimental treatment sprayed with 108 ufc propagules produced in potato dextrose broth. The effect of chlamydospore-rich suspensions on plant physiological parameters was more pronounced and long-lasting compared with the other treatments. The treatment with chlamydospore-rich suspension enhanced the accumulation of polyphenols and flavonoids in the leaves and fruits and increased the antioxidant activity. The application of the foliar treatment with Trichoderma suspensions did not modify the cytocompatibility of the extracts from fruits determined on L929 cells.
Keywords
maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II; net photosynthetic rate; stomatal conductance; polyphenols; flavonoids; antioxidant activity; cytocompatibility
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.