Biocontrol potential of indigenous Trichoderma isolates against Fusarium wilt of cotton in Tanzania: In vitro screening and screen-house validation
Paper Details
Biocontrol potential of indigenous Trichoderma isolates against Fusarium wilt of cotton in Tanzania: In vitro screening and screen-house validation
Abstract
Fusarium wilt constrains cotton production in Tanzania. This study evaluated indigenous cotton-rhizosphere microorganisms as biological control candidates through sequential in vitro and screenhouse assays. Thirty-six rhizosphere soil samples collected from cotton farms in Magu, Kwimba and Misungwi districts yielded 27 microbial isolates. Preliminary screening selected five candidates: two putative members of the Trichoderma harzianum species complex (T1 and T2), Bacillus subtilis (T3), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (T4) and a T3+T4 consortium (T5). In dual-culture assays against Fusarium oxysporum EF1, T2 and T1 produced the greatest Day-7 inhibition of radial growth at 65.9% and 61.2%, respectively, compared with 29.5–36.4% for the Bacillus-based treatments. T1 and T2 were subsequently evaluated in a six-week screenhouse trial using cotton cultivar UKM 08. Relative to the pathogen control, T1 and T2 reduced mean area under the disease progress curve by 74.6% and 43.2%, respectively. At Week 6, both treatments significantly reduced normalized disease severity, although Holm-adjusted comparisons of disease incidence were not significant. T2 showed slightly greater inhibition in vitro, whereas T1 produced a larger numerical reduction in cumulative disease, but the isolates did not differ significantly in direct comparisons. These findings demonstrate that in vitro antagonism may not fully predict plant-associated performance and support sequential laboratory and host-based screening. Both isolates require field validation before practical recommendation.
Aslam S, Baber M, Naqqash T, Javed M, Bredenbruch S, Grundler FMW, Schleker ASS. 2025. Rhizospheric Bacillus isolates control Fusarium wilt on cotton and enhance plant biomass and root development. Frontiers in Microbiology 16, 1580937. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1580937
Barnett HL, Hunter BB. 1998. Illustrated genera of imperfect fungi. 4th ed. APS Press, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Bell AA, Kemerait RC, Ortiz CS, Prom S, Quintana J, Nichols RL, Liu J. 2017. Genetic diversity, virulence, and Meloidogyne incognita interactions of Fusarium oxysporum isolates causing cotton wilt in Georgia. Plant Disease 101(6), 948–956. DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-09-16-1382-RE
Campbell CL, Madden LV. 1990. Introduction to plant disease epidemiology. Wiley, New York, USA.
Carbone I, Kohn LM. 1999. A method for designing primer sets for speciation studies in filamentous ascomycetes. Mycologia 91(3), 553–556. DOI: 10.1080/00275514.1999.12061051
Cianchetta AN, Davis RM. 2015. Fusarium wilt of cotton: Management strategies. Crop Protection 73, 40–44. DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2015.01.014
Davis RM, Colyer PD, Rothrock CS, Kochman JK. 2006. Fusarium wilt of cotton: Population diversity and implications for management. Plant Disease 90(6), 692–703. DOI: 10.1094/PD-90-0692
Dennis C, Webster J. 1971. Antagonistic properties of species-groups of Trichoderma: I. Production of non-volatile antibiotics. Transactions of the British Mycological Society 57(1), 25–39. DOI: 10.1016/S0007-1536(71)80077-3
Druzhinina IS, Seidl-Seiboth V, Herrera-Estrella A, Horwitz BA, Kenerley CM, Monte E, Mukherjee PK, Zeilinger S, Grigoriev IV, Kubicek CP. 2011. Trichoderma: The genomics of opportunistic success. Nature Reviews Microbiology 9(10), 749–759. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2637
Duan Y, Chen R, Zhang R, Jiang W, Chen X, Yin C, Mao Z. 2021. Isolation, identification, and antibacterial mechanisms of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QSB-6 and its effect on plant roots. Frontiers in Microbiology 12, 746799. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.746799
Esmail S, Oelbermann M. 2022. Investigating farmer perspectives and compost application for soil management in urban agriculture in Mwanza, Tanzania. Frontiers in Soil Science 2, 905664. DOI: 10.3389/fsoil.2022.905664
Fravel D, Olivain C, Alabouvette C. 2003. Fusarium oxysporum and its biocontrol. New Phytologist 157(3), 493–502. DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00700.x
Harman GE, Howell CR, Viterbo A, Chet I, Lorito M. 2004. Trichoderma species-opportunistic, avirulent plant symbionts. Nature Reviews Microbiology 2(1), 43–56. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro797
Harman GE. 2006. Overview of mechanisms and uses of Trichoderma spp. Phytopathology 96(2), 190–194. DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-96-0190
Huang C-H, Huang L, Chang M-T, Wu C-P. 2017. Use of novel specific primers targeted to pheS and tuf genes for species and subspecies identification and differentiation of Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Bacillus licheniformis. African Journal of Microbiology Research 11(7), 264–270. DOI: 10.5897/AJMR2017.8434
Javed I, Khan MA, Riaz H, Saeed S, Sajid M, Bashair M, Abbas Z, Ali H, Al-Dosary MA, Junaid MB. 2025. Biological approaches to sustainable management of Fusarium wilt in cotton. Journal of Crop Health 77, Article 69. DOI: 10.1007/s10343-025-01137-5
Jeger MJ, Viljanen-Rollinson SLH. 2001. The use of the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) to assess quantitative disease resistance in crop cultivars. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 102(1), 32–40. DOI: 10.1007/s001220051615
Kim PI, Ryu J, Kim YH, Chi YT. 2010. Production of biosurfactant lipopeptides iturin A, fengycin, and surfactin A from Bacillus subtilis CMB32 for control of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 20(1), 138–145. DOI: 10.4014/jmb.0905.05007
Kwon GH, Lee HA, Park JY, Kim JS, Lim J, Park CS, Kwon DY, Kim YS, Kim JH. 2009. Development of a RAPD-PCR method for identification of Bacillus species isolated from Cheonggukjang. International Journal of Food Microbiology 129(3), 282–287. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2008.12.013
Logan NA, De Vos P. 2015. Bacillus. In: Whitman WB (ed.). Bergey’s manual of systematics of Archaea and Bacteria. Wiley, 1–163. DOI: 10.1002/9781118960608.gbm00530
Lorito M, Woo SL, Harman GE, Monte E. 2010. Translational research on Trichoderma: From ‘omics to the field. Annual Review of Phytopathology 48, 395–417. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-073009-114314
Madden LV, Hughes G, van den Bosch F. 2007. The study of plant disease epidemics. APS Press, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.y DOI: 10.1094/9780890545058
Marzano M, Gallo A, Altomare C. 2013. Improvement of biocontrol efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum vs. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici through UV-induced tolerance to fusaric acid. Biological Control 67(3), 397–408. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2013.09.008
Mfinanga F, Panga B, Temba J. 2025. Enhancing cotton yield through adoption of climate-smart agriculture: A case of smallholder farmers in Bariadi District, Tanzania. Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology 13(S3), 3776–3784. DOI: 10.24925/turjaf.v13is3.3776-3784.7993
Michielse CB, Rep M. 2009. Pathogen profile update: Fusarium oxysporum. Molecular Plant Pathology 10(3), 311–324. DOI: 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2009.00538.x
Mukherjee PK, Horwitz BA, Herrera-Estrella A, Schmoll M, Kenerley CM. 2013. Trichoderma research in the genome era. Annual Review of Phytopathology 51, 105–129. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-082712-102353
Ndole RW, Kilasi NL, Hamisi MI, Saidia PS. 2023. Screening of selected cotton genotypes (Gossypium spp.) for resistance to Fusarium wilt disease in Tanzania. Journal of Current Opinion in Crop Science 4(4), 172–178. DOI: 10.62773/jcocs.v4i4.215
Nihorimbere V, Cawoy H, Seyer A, Brunelle A, Thonart P, Ongena M. 2012. Impact of rhizosphere factors on cyclic lipopeptide signature from the plant beneficial strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens S499. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 79(1), 176–191. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01208.x
Sambrook J, Russell DW. 2001. Molecular cloning: A laboratory manual. 3rd ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
Sanogo S, Zhang J. 2016. Resistance sources, resistance screening techniques and disease management for Fusarium wilt in cotton. Euphytica 207(2), 255–271. DOI: 10.1007/s10681-015-1532-y
Skidmore AM, Dickinson CH. 1976. Colony interactions and hyphal interference between Septoria nodorum and phylloplane fungi. Transactions of the British Mycological Society 66(1), 57–64. DOI: 10.1016/S0007-1536(76)80092-7
Tanzania Cotton Board. 2026. MHE. Chongolo: Uhakika wa pembejeo, matumizi ya teknolojia kuleta tija ya zao la pamba. Retrieved from https://www.tcb.go.tz/news/hon-chongolo-reliable-access-to-inputs-and-use-of-technology-to-drive-cotton-productivity
Tarazi R, Santos-Jiménez JL, Vaslin MFS. 2020. Biotechnological solutions for major cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) pathogens and pests. Biotechnology Research and Innovation 3, 19–26. DOI: 10.1016/j.biori.2020.01.001
United Republic of Tanzania. 2017. Climate-smart agriculture guideline for the United Republic of Tanzania: A country-driven response to climate change, food and nutrition insecurity. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/3/i7157e/i7157e.pdf
Vinale F, Sivasithamparam K, Ghisalberti EL, Marra R, Woo SL, Lorito M. 2008. Trichoderma-plant-pathogen interactions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 40(1), 1–10. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.07.002
Woo SL, Hermosa R, Lorito M, Monte E. 2023. Trichoderma: A multipurpose, plant-beneficial microorganism for eco-sustainable agriculture. Nature Reviews Microbiology 21(5), 312–326. DOI: 10.1038/s41579-022-00819-5
Yao X, Guo H, Zhang K, Zhao M, Ruan J, Chen J. 2023. Trichoderma and its role in biological control of plant fungal and nematode disease. Frontiers in Microbiology 14, 1160551. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1160551
Zhang J, Abdelraheem A, Zhu Y, Elkins-Arce H, Dever J, Whitelock D, Hake K, Wedegaertner T, Wheeler TA. 2022. Studies of evaluation methods for resistance to Fusarium wilt race 4 (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum) in cotton: Effects of cultivar, planting date, and inoculum density on disease progression. Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 900131. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.900131
Zhou Y, Zhang H, Martin TK, Chagoya J, Isakeit T, Shim WB. 2026. Pathogenicity and virulence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4: Understanding an emerging threat to cotton from field to genome. Virulence 17(1), 2682654. DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2026.2682654
Fauzia Khalid Mpiganzila*, Alfonce Leonard, Lidia Munuo, Ernest Mbega, Agatha Aloyce, 2026. Biocontrol potential of indigenous Trichoderma isolates against Fusarium wilt of cotton in Tanzania: In vitro screening and screen-house validation. Int. J. Biosci., 29(3), 44-61.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.