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Trichoderma harzianum SQR-T037 rapidly degrades allelochemicals in rhizospheres of continuously cropped cucumbers

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Abstract

To alleviate the stress of continuous cropping for cucumber continuous cropping (CCC) system, a beneficial fungus Trichoderma harzianum SQR-T037 (SQR-T037) was isolated and applied to soil to degrade allelochemicals exuded from cucumber plants in a Rhizobox experiment. The following phenolic acids (PAs), classified as allelochemicals, were isolated and identified from cucumber rhizospheres: 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, benzoic acid, 3-phenylpropionic acid, and cinnamic acid. Mixed PAs added in potato dextrose broth, each with 0.2 gram per liter, were completely degraded by SQR-T037 after 170 h of incubation. In Rhizobox experiments, inoculation of SQR-T037 in the CCC soil also degraded the PAs exuded from cucumber plant roots. This degradation was 88.8% for 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 90% for vanillic acid, 95% for benzoic acid, and 100% for ferulic acid, 3-phenylpropionic acid, and cinnamic acid at 45 days after plantation. Simultaneously, a significant (p ≥ 0.05) decrease in the disease index of Fusarium wilt and an increase in dry weights of cucumber plants were obtained in pot experiments by application of SQR-T037. This was mostly attributed to degradation of PAs exuded from cucumber roots in CCC soil by SQR-T037 and alleviation of the allelopathic stress. Application of beneficial microorganisms, such as SQR-T037 that biodegrades allelochemicals, is a highly efficient way to resolve the problems associated with continuous cropping system.

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Acknowledgement

This research work was financially supported by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (2010AA10Z401), China Agriculture Ministry (200803031) and by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (40871126).

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  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Lihua Chen, Xingming Yang, Waseem Raza, Junhua Li, Yanxia Liu, Meihua Qiu, Fengge Zhang & Qirong Shen

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  1. Lihua Chen
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  2. Xingming Yang
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  8. Qirong Shen
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Correspondence to Qirong Shen.

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Chen, L., Yang, X., Raza, W. et al. Trichoderma harzianum SQR-T037 rapidly degrades allelochemicals in rhizospheres of continuously cropped cucumbers. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89, 1653–1663 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2948-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2948-x

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