Shandong Science ›› 2025, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (4): 46-55.doi: 10.3976/j.issn.1002-4026.20240078

• Microbiology of Agriculture • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The isolation and identification of the southern blight-causing pathogen in Houttuynia cordata Thunb. and screening of its biocontrol agent Trichoderma spp.

WANG Xingqiang1,2(), LI Hongmei1, XU Weisheng3, WEI Yanli1, CHEN Kai1, LI Jishun1,*()   

  1. 1. Ecology Institute of Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250103, China
    2. School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
    3. Zhuge Agricultural Service Center, Yishui County, Linyi 276422,China
  • Received:2024-06-20 Online:2025-08-20 Published:2025-08-05
  • Contact: LI Jishun E-mail:wangxingqiangwork@foxmail.com;yewu2@sdas.org

Abstract:

Southern blight is a key disease that harms the growth of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. To identify the pathogenic fungi that cause southern blight in H. cordata, tissue isolation was conducted on H. cordata samples infected with southern blight from Dangyang, Hubei province, China. Furthermore, screening was conducted to determine the morphology and molecular biology of the infected plant, and the isolated pathogens were screened against the antagonist Trichoderma. The results identified Athelia rolfsii as isolated pathogenic fungi. Three Trichoderma strains with fungal inhibition rate greater than 95% were screened through a plate confrontation assay. Among them, Trichoderma asperellum QT21918 exhibited the effects of hyphal hyperparasitism and fungal lysis on A. rolfsii and its inhibitory rates for volatile and nonvolatile metabolites were 38.21% and 50.54%, respectively. In vitro leaf tests demonstrated that this strain had a fungal inhibitory rate of 67.7% against the spread of the lesions associated with southern blight disease. A pot-based experiment showed that optimal control effect was achieved by simultaneously inoculating T. asperellum QT 21918 and the pathogen as well as by first inoculating T. asperellum QT21918 for 7 days and then inoculating the pathogen, both methods achieving a control effect of 100%. The above results indicate that T. asperellum QT21918 has potential as a biocontrol agent against southern blight in H. cordata.

Key words: Houttuynia cordata, pathogenic fungi, biological control, Trichoderma

CLC Number: 

  • S476