How Do Trichoderma Genus Fungi Win a Nutritional Competition Battle against Soft Fruit Pathogens? A Report on Niche Overlap Nutritional Potentiates

Abstract

We present a case study report into nutritional competition between <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. isolated from wild raspberries and fungal phytopathogenic isolates (<i>Colletotrichum</i> sp., <i>Botrytis</i> sp., <i>Verticillium</i> sp. and <i>Phytophthora</i> sp.), which infect soft fruit ecological plantations. The competition was evaluated on the basis of nutritional potentiates. Namely, these were consumption and growth, calculated on the basis of substrate utilization located on Biolog^® Filamentous Fungi (FF) plates. The niche size, total niche overlap and <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. competitiveness indices along with the occurrence of a stressful metabolic situation towards substrates highlighted the unfolding step-by-step approach. Therefore, the <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. and pathogen niche characteristics were provided. As a result, the substrates in the presence of which <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. nutritionally outcompete pathogens were denoted. These were adonitol, D-arabitol, i-erythritol, glycerol, D-mannitol and D-sorbitol. These substrates may serve as additives in biopreparations of <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. dedicated to plantations contaminated by phytopathogens of the genera <i>Colletotrichum</i> sp., <i>Botrytis</i> sp., <i>Verticillium</i> sp. and <i>Phytophthora</i> sp.