Trichoderma asiaticum

Trichoderma asiaticum
Scientific classification
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Fungi
Phylum	Ascomycota
Clade	Harzianum
Class	Sordariomycetes
Subclass	Hypocreomycetidae
Order	Hypocreales
Family	Hypocreaceae
Genus	Trichoderma
Species:	asiaticum
Binomial name:
T. asiaticum Z.F. Yu & X. Du, 2021
Synonyms
No synonyms listed

Trichoderma asiaticum is a species of fungus described in 2021 by Zheng et al. It was isolated from environmental samples and characterized using morphological features and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Tricoderma sp. have a wide distribution and several novel species have been described from soils in China. No T. asiaticum-specific economic uses have been reported. However, species of the genus Trichoderma are widely used in agriculture as biocontrol agents and in industrial applications.

Taxonomy and type specimen

Phylogenetic tree generated by maximum likelihood analysis using concatenated sequences of rpb2 and tef1 loci of the genus Trichoderma. Maximum likelihood bootstrap values ≥70% (left) and Bayesian posterior probabilities ≥0.9 (right) are indicated at nodes (MLBP/BIBP). Protocrea farinosa CBS 121551 and P. pallida CBS 299.78 were used as outgroups. Novel species proposed in Zhao et al. (2023) are indicated in bold.

Taxonomy

Trichoderma asiaticum is a species of filamentous fungus in the family Hypocreaceae, order Hypocreales, within the phylum Ascomycota. It was formally described in 2021 based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses using gene regions such as rpb2 and tef1. The genus Trichoderma comprises numerous species commonly found in soil and plant-associated environments, with species boundaries increasingly resolved through molecular methods rather than morphology alone.

Type Specimen

The type specimen was initially collected in the soil of a tobacco rhizosphere in Luliang county, Yunnan province, China (中国云南省 陆良县) at the following coordinates: 24°57'22.0"N 103°46'30.0"E / 48 R 376335.62 2760645.83 in July of 2007. The holotype YMF 1.00352 is stored at the Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, in a metabolically inactive state (deep freezing).. The ex-type culture is stored at the China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC 3.19085), and has a MycoBank# 825470.

Morphology

Morphology of Trichoderma asiaticum (YMF 1.00352), showing colony growth on CMD, PDA, and SNA media (a–c) and microscopic structures including conidiophores, phialides, and conidia (d–h) (Zheng et al. 2021).

Trichoderma asiaticum produces colonies that vary in appearance depending on culture medium. After 7 days at 25 °C, colonies grown on CMD, PDA, and SNA exhibit distinct growth forms and coloration. Conidiophores are formed on SNA and are branched, bearing phialides that give rise to conidia. Phialides are arranged along the conidiophores and produce conidia in clusters. Conidia are smooth-walled and typically globose to subglobose in shape.

Commercial Uses

Currently Trichoderma asiaticum does not have any described commercial uses, such as a fungicide, or biofertilizer. However, many species in the genus Trichoderma are used as microbial biological control agents (MBCA) in integrated pest management (IPM) systems. In practice, Trichoderma can be applied to the seed or propagation material at the time of propagation. A secondary use is while the plant is growing. The primary function is to control soilborne fungal pathogens such as Rhizoctonia, Pythium and Sclerotinia. Additionally it has been shown to aid in mitigating foliar pathogens such as Botrytis and Alternaria. A beneficial side effect of this MCBA listed on some products is "enhanced plant growth", "additional biomass", and "increased yields", although this is most likely attributed to reduced plant stress from mycoparasites.

External links

• ICTT International Commission on Trichoderma Taxonomy
• NCBI Taxonomy entry for Trichoderma asiaticum
• Species Fungorum record for Trichoderma asiaticum