REVIEW article
Front. Fungal Biol.
Sec. Fungal Secondary Metabolites and Mycotoxins
This article is part of the Research TopicSoil Ecological Traits of Trichoderma-Based Biofertilizers: Multifunctional Applications, Ecosystem Impacts, and Sustainable InnovationView all articles
Ecological Dominance, Functional Roles, and Biosafety of Trichoderma spp. as a Biofertilizer Fungus
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hainan University, Haikou, China
- 2Naypyitaw State Polytechnic University, Naypyitaw, Myanmar
- 3Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Shaheed Benazirabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Pakistan
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Trichoderma spp. are the most widely used fungal species in biofertilizers due to their capacity to enhance soil quality, suppress plant pathogens, and promote plant growth. However, due to the popularity of Trichoderma spp. usages in agricultural systems has raised significant environmental and safety concerns. This review mainly emphasized the mechanisms that underlie the ecological dominance and competitive nature of Trichoderma spp. over native microbial communities. And then explores the multifunctional role of Trichoderma spp. in soil ecosystems, which mainly focus on its interactions within the rhizosphere that influence dynamics plant-microbe interactions and nutrient cycling. This article also highlight potential ecological imbalances associated with prolonged or repeated applications of Trichoderma spp. which include changes in soil microbial biodiversity and the decline of beneficial native microbiota. Furthermore, it evaluates the safety issues of Trichoderma-based biofertilizers by focusing their bioactive metabolites and potential effects on humans, animals, and non-target living things. Therefore, the review addresses the importance of site-specific application strategies, monitoring protocols, and comprehensive eco-toxicological assessments to mitigate unintended environmental and health concerns. By synthesizing recent findings and identifying key knowledge gaps, this work provides a framework for the responsible and sustainable integration of Trichoderma spp. into modern agro-ecological systems.
Keywords: agroecological, bioactive, biofertilizer, Ecotoxicological, Trichoderma spp.
Received: 04 Jun 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fu, Win, Bo and Khan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Pengcheng Fu
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