AUTHOR=Ramírez-Valdespino Claudia A. , Orrantia-Borunda Erasmo 

TITLE=Trichoderma and Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Fungal Biology

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/fungal-biology/articles/10.3389/ffunb.2021.764675

DOI=10.3389/ffunb.2021.764675

ISSN=2673-6128

ABSTRACT=Due to their unique properties and functionalities, nanomaterials can be found in different activities as pharmaceutics, cosmetics, medicine, and agriculture, among others. Nowadays, formulations with nanocompounds exist to reduce the application of conventional pesticides and fertilizers. Among the most used are nanoparticles of copper, zinc, or silver which are known because of their cytotoxicity, and their accumulation can change the dynamic of microbes present in the soil. In agriculture, Trichoderma is widely utilized as a safe biocontrol strategy and to promote plant yield, making it susceptible to be in contact with nanomaterials that can interfere with its viability as well as its biocontrol and plant growth promotion effects. It is well known that strains of Trichoderma can tolerate and uptake heavy metals in their bulk form, but it is poorly understood whether the same occurs with nanomaterials. Interestingly, Trichoderma can synthesize nanoparticles that exhibit antimicrobial activity against various organisms of interest, including plant pathogens. Here, we summarize the main findings regarding Trichoderma and nanotechnology, including its use to synthesize nanoparticles and the consequence that these compounds might have in this fungus and its associations. Moreover, based on these findings we discuss whether it is feasible to develop agrochemicals that combine nanoparticles and Trichoderma strains in order to generate more sustainable products or not.