Research on the antagonistic effects of endophytic penicillium and trichoderma species against petri disease pathogens phaeoacremonium minimum and cadophora luteo-olivacea in grapevines

In grapevine nurseries, Petri disease is one of the important fungal diseases caused by Phaeoacremonium minimum, Cadophora luteo-olivaceae, and similar pathogens in grapevine nurseries around the world. The management of this disease is highly challenging, and there is no economical or practical method to reduce its occurrence. This study aimed to investigate the effect of endophytic Penicillium fructuariae-cellae, Penicillium canescens, and Trichoderma brevicompactum species on reducing the occurrence of diseases caused by P. minimum and C. luteo-olivaceae through in vitro and pot experiments. The in vitro effects of endophytic species on pathogens were studied by dual-culture, volatile antibiotic, and culture filtrate tests. In pot experiments, spore suspensions of endophytic species were applied to the roots of seedlings, and after four months, necrosis formation in internal tissues and seedling mortality rates were measured. Among the endophytic species, P. fructuariae-cellae reduced the colony growth of P. minimum and C. luteo-olivaceae by 27.3% and 31.9%, respectively, in the dual culture test, while P. canescens exhibited a low effect, reducing the colony growth of both pathogens by 0.8% and 20.1%. T. brevicompactum performed the highest antagonistic effect, reducing the colony growth of pathogens by 35.7% and 39.8%. Culture filtrates of P. fructuariae-cellae and P. canescens reduced the colony growth of P. minimum but did not affect C. luteo-olivaceae. Endophytic isolates had a systemic effect when applied to roots, reducing the length of necrosis, and these species could be re-isolated from internal tissues. In sterile rooting media, 63.6% of the plants inoculated with P. minimum died, whereas no mortality occurred in seedlings supplemented with endophytic isolates. While 28.6% of C. luteo-olivacea inoculated seedlings died, this rate decreased to 9.1% in those supported with endophytes. In non-sterile rooting media, none of the plants died. This study indicates that P. fructuariae-cellae, P. canescens, and T. brevicompactum species can be evaluated as potential biocontrol agents for the biological control of Petri Disease in grapevine nurseries.