Studies on the Production and Activities of Polysaccharide Degrading Enzymes Produced by some Trichoderma Isolates

Project: Research project

Project Details

Description

Intensified use of fungicides and pesticides has resulted in the accumulation of toxic compounds potentially hazardous to humans and the environment and also in the buildup of resistance of the pathogens. In order to tackle these national and global problems, viable alternatives to chemical control are being investigated and the use of antagonistic microbes seems to be one of the promising approaches. Antagonism may be accomplished by competition, parasitism, antibiotics, or by a combination of these modes of action. Parasitism involves the production of several hydrolytic enzymes that degrade cell walls of pathogenic fungi. The importance of beta-1,3-glucanase and chitinase as key enzymes responsible for fungal cell and sclerotial wall lysis and degradation has been reported. These enzymes have been shown to be produced by several fungi and bacteria and may be an important factor in biological control. Several modes of action have been associated with the ability of Trichoderma spp. to control plant pathogens including substrate competition, the ability to colonize the ecological niche favored by the pathogen, antagonism by antibiotics. Chitinase and beta-1,3- and beta-1,6-glucanases are produced by T. harzianum when it is grown in the presence of chitin or isolated fungal cell walls.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date20/09/9831/12/03

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