AUTHOR=Abbas Aqleem , Mubeen Mustansar , Zheng Hongxia , Sohail Muhammad Aamir , Shakeel Qaiser , Solanki Manoj Kumar , Iftikhar Yasir , Sharma Sagar , Kashyap Brijendra Kumar , Hussain Sarfaraz , del Carmen Zuñiga Romano Maria , Moya-Elizondo Ernesto A. , Zhou Lei 

TITLE=Trichoderma spp. Genes Involved in the Biocontrol Activity Against Rhizoctonia solani

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.884469

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.884469

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Rhizoctonia solani</italic> is a pathogen that causes considerable harm to plants worldwide. In the absence of hosts, <italic>R. solani</italic> survives in the soil by forming sclerotia, and management methods, such as cultivar breeding, crop rotations, and fungicide sprays, are insufficient and/or inefficient in controlling <italic>R. solani</italic>. One of the most challenging problems facing agriculture in the twenty-first century besides with the impact of global warming. Environmentally friendly techniques of crop production and improved agricultural practices are essential for long-term food security. <italic>Trichoderma</italic> spp. could serve as an excellent example of a model fungus to enhance crop productivity in a sustainable way. Among biocontrol mechanisms, mycoparasitism, competition, and antibiosis are the fundamental mechanisms by which <italic>Trichoderma</italic> spp. defend against <italic>R. solani</italic>, thereby preventing or obstructing its proliferation. Additionally, <italic>Trichoderma</italic> spp. induce a mixed induced systemic resistance (ISR) or systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants against <italic>R. solani</italic>, known as <italic>Trichoderma</italic>-ISR. Stimulation of every biocontrol mechanism involves <italic>Trichoderma</italic> spp. genes responsible for encoding secondary metabolites, siderophores, signaling molecules, enzymes for cell wall degradation, and plant growth regulators. <italic>Rhizoctonia solani</italic> biological control through genes of <italic>Trichoderma</italic> spp. is summarized in this paper. It also gives information on the <italic>Trichoderma</italic>-ISR in plants against <italic>R. solani</italic>. Nonetheless, fast-paced current research on <italic>Trichoderma</italic> spp. is required to properly utilize their true potential against diseases caused by <italic>R. solani</italic>.</p>